Beyond the Light and the Dark
by cthulu1
Summary: A galaxy-spanning tale of the tumultuous times in which Revan lived. Of the wars in which she fought, the conspiracies she discovered, the tragedies she experienced, her betrayal at the hands of Malak, and of her time spent with the brunette Jedi who stole her heart.
1. Prologue: From Coruscant to Dantooine

Padawan Revan groggily stepped out of her quarters in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Just as she exited, a youngling said, "The masters want to see you in the proving grounds."

"Thanks." she sleepily replied, brushing some of her long black hair out of her eyes. After grabbing a quick breakfast in the mess hall, she went to the training grounds, and was greeted by her Master, Kreia. The old woman often called Far-Seer by the other Jedi said, "You are late, Revan."

"My apologies, master." Revan said as she bowed, "I went to get some breakfast before coming here. Why am I wanted here?"

"You have mastered all of the lessons that you have been given up to this point, and the council believes that it is time you are raised to the rank of Jedi Knight. But, before that, you must prove yourself skilled enough with both the force and the lightsaber."

"I understand, master. What am I to do?"

"First, your skill with the blade shall be tested. Last four minutes in combat with a Jedi Knight and you shall have proven your skill."

"I understand, master. Who do you want me to duel?"

"She should be here shortly, Revan." Kreia said.

The young Padawan nodded, and looked around. She then said, "The youngling said that the masters wanted to see me down here. I thought there would be more."

Kreia did not respond, but instead greeted the Knight approaching, "Hello, Meetra."

"Master Kreia. You wished to see me?"

"Yes, you shall be assisting Revan in her test to be raised to Knight."

Meetra nodded, and drew her lightsaber. Igniting the blue blade, she looked Revan in the eyes, and said, "Raise your guard, Padawan."

Revan laughed, and said, "This should be fun. You going easy on me, Master?"

"Meetra's skill has greatly improved since she was raised to Knighthood. Do not let your arrogance get the better of you, Revan." the blind woman said.

"Yes, master." Revan said, determination showing in her green eyes as she drew her own lightsaber and ignited it. The blue blade flashed out in a second, and then, the two Jedi clashed. When their blades first connected, a grin came across Revan's face, and she pushed the smaller woman back. Then, as Meetra stabbed at her, Revan used the force to amplify her jump as she leaped over Meetra. Just before her blade was at Meetra's neck, the Knight ducked and kicked Revan in the gut. Staggering back, the Padawan raised her blade just in time to block Meetra's. Then, she rolled to the side, and began attacking once again.

At first, neither made many movements. Both merely trying to break the defense of their opponent. Then, Revan smirked, and began to strike at Meetra with rapid strikes while her feet moved similar to how they would in a dance as they carried her in a circle around the Knight, who was barely able to block.

Just as Meetra's guard was about to collapse from Revan's many attacks, as her strikes forced the Knight to step back to prevent losing her footing, she heard Kreia say, "Enough. You have proven yourself skilled enough with the lightsaber."

The two young women deactivated their weapons and replaced them on their belts. Kreia continued, "You can return to your previous tasks now, Meetra."

"Thank you, Master Kreia." Meetra said as she left.

Kreia then said, "There are two other masters here, you are to find them. Each of them shall give you a task you are to perform with the force. It shall be quite difficult to find them, but I can tell you they are still in this place."

Revan nodded, and thought, _'Not an insane amount of help. I suppose this is why the proving grounds are so huge,'_ while she walked through the training grounds. As the quiet surrounded her, she felt her Force senses becoming even sharper than they already were. She could close her eyes, but still see every detail of the room in razor sharp detail through the Force.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she carefully checked every area for one of the hiding masters. Walking through the room was peaceful, yet tense. Then, after an hour and a half of searching, she found the first master. The aging man, Master Oraka said, "You have done well to find me. Your first test is to heal a lightsaber wound with the Force, and leave no scar." He said, and a youngling who had made a drastic mistake in training, not an uncommon occurrence, was brought forward.

Revan shook her head as she looked at the child, she knew that if she messed this up the masters would fix it, but she was still nervous. She took a deep, calming breath, then embraced the Force, and slowly, carefully guided its enormous power into the child, using it to heal the burnt flesh before knitting the small gash closed, leaving no sign that the boy had ever been injured.

Oraka said, "Well done, Revan. Now, go find the other master. A single hint, he is in the area with the crystal lake."

Revan nodded, silently saying, _'Why did they have to create a simulated environment for the proving grounds? It seems a bit overboard. Oh well, at least I know where to look. It should be easier to find the other master.'_

Soon she was in the area mentioned, and walked through it with silent determination. She kept whispering to herself, "Only one more test." as she walked through, carefully checking each area. Then, after checking the entire area, she groaned, and thought, _'He's hidden somewhere in the Lake.'_ before walking gently along the great multitude of crystals slipping once shortly after landing on it, and saw that sure enough, the master was hidden in the lake. He was using the force to move them to slip anyone who would try to walk over it. She muttered under her breath, as she realized that the way he was moving them, if she just let it move her she'd be taken to him, but if she tried to get to him directly, that there was no way she'd get down. She sighed, and relaxed as the mundane crystals gently pushed her along, slowly taking her closer to the master.

When she finally felt her feet touch solid ground, she said, "Master."

"Padawan. Though, it may soon be Knight. Your next task is simple. You are to forge a path through the crystals to the edge of the lake, while I try to stop you. If you make it through, you are skilled enough with the Force to carry the title of Jedi Knight."

Revan nodded, and set about finding a way to use the force that would give her a path through the crystals. Time froze as she moved, and finally, after hours of struggling, she broke free of the crystals, and sprinted over to Kreia.

Kreia said, "Well done, Revan. You have proven yourself worthy of the title Jedi Knight. Tomorrow the official promotion ceremony shall be held. Though, I bet many will be surprised to find out your last name is Tremaine."

"It shouldn't be _that_ surprising." Revan said, with a sad smile on her face. She and Kreia walked out of the room, and Kreia said, "There should be a pair of Jedi Knight robes in your quarters. You'll have to wear them tomorrow. "

"Got it. What am I going to do now, Master?"

"We shall discuss that tomorrow. Today, you should rest, and celebrate what you have accomplished. But no drinking, Revan."

"I've only had a drink once." Revan said, "I didn't really care for it."

Kreia nodded, and said, "Good. Now go and enjoy the rest of your day. Tomorrow things will change drastically, Knight Revan."

"Hopefully for the better." Revan said as she walked out of the temple for the first time in a while. She was instantly greeted by the sight of the towering spires of Coruscant, and a cab driver asked, "Do you want to go somewhere, Master Jedi?"

"Yes, the Senate Park."

"Yes ma'am." he said, getting into his speeder. Revan slipped into the back seat, and just relaxed as she felt the wind blowing against her face, sending her hair back. When the speeder landed a few minutes later, the man said, "That'll be ten credits."

She quickly handed him his payment, and stepped out. Walking quietly through the large park, which was mainly filled with couples, she sadly shook her head, thinking, _'I wonder why the masters say that love is a dark emotion. These people feel love, and they are not evil. Not slaves to the dark side. They aren't like those mandalorian bastards. They don't go around destroying worlds, and selling off the few survivors into slavery.'_ Revan shuddered as the memory of her parents' last words rang in her ears, _"Revan, go hide! We'll try to hold them off." _her father said, and her mother added, _"We love you, Revan. Now please go! They'll hurt you too if you stay."_

A young Revan protested, _"I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."_

"_You don't always get what you want, Revan."_

"Daddy, can't I stay with you?"

"_Not this time, dear. Run!"_

Tears filled Revan's eyes as the scene playing in her head ended. John and Miranda Tremaine had been good people. People who helped everyone they could. But, that day the people of Mandalore had come and killed them. For no reason other than mindless blood-lust. Then, Revan heard a man ask, "Are you alright, Miss?"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Revan asked.

"I asked if you're alright. You've just been standing there, crying."

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

"Alright. Aren't you a bit young to be here alone? You can't be more than fourteen.

"I'm eighteen and a Jedi." Revan said, revealing the lightsaber she had hidden in her pocket.

"Oh, my apologies, Master Jedi. I didn't know."

"There is no problem. Could you tell me why there are so many people here? Few come here often."

"I don't know, Master Jedi."

"Please, call me Revan."

"Oh, of course, Revan. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, that is all." the Knight replied, walking over to a tree, and quickly climbing to its peak. She smirked, there were many such parks on Coruscant. A few thousand years ago there hadn't been, and people had been having breakdowns quite frequently, so the Senate had spent millions of credits to have parks built around the planet. They were numerous enough that they rarely were packed with people, and were places of peace and relaxation.

Then, Revan received a message on her datapad. It was from Meetra, "Hey, Revan. Great job on passing the Knight Trial. Want to go catch a movie?"

"No thanks. Just want to spend some time outside right now.'

"Alright."

"If you want to hang out, I'm at the Senate Park."

"No thanks. I think I'll stay here and find a way to get this blasted droid working again. It doesn't seem to want to comply."

"That old T3 unit?" Revan asked.

"Yeah."

"You just need to fix the wiring. Shouldn't be very hard."

"That's easy for you to say. You're the one who actually understands droids, and can even understand droid-speak."

"Not my fault you're challenged in that regard." Revan sent back, before jumping from the tree she was on to the branch of another one. Using that to give her more momentum, she used to land in a third tree, directly above a couple. Then, she dropped behind them, and walked deeper into the park. She lay down, and just stared up at the sky. The hours passed in silence, and then the stars rose in the night sky. Revan sighed, and stood up, brushing the grass off of her robes.

She walked back to the spot where cabs usually waited, and found that there wasn't one. When one finally showed up, Revan said, "Take me to the Jedi Temple, and on the double."

"Got it, Master Jedi." He said, noticing her robes and lightsaber. Even with the driver's skill, it was still an hour before they got back to the temple, due to the traffic. He said, "I'm sorry for the wait, Master Jedi.

Revan took a deep breath, tossed him some credits, and sprinted into the temple. There, she was greeted by a very upset looking Kreia. The Jedi Master said, "Revan, as you know, tradition is that Padawans spend this time in meditation before they are officially raised to Padawans. Not, out in the city."  
"I apologize, master. I should have left the park sooner, to avoid the traffic."

"Good, now go to your meditations. And, you'll have to go an hour later since you didn't think it necessary to leave so you could arrive on time to do it as the Order demands."

"Yes, master." Revan said, heading to her room. She sat in the middle of the floor, and assumed the meditative trance that she had been taught as a youngling. As she sat there, meditating, she seemed to become as one with the Force.

When the time of meditation came to a close, she rose, and quickly took a shower, before collapsing into bed, and falling asleep.

-=0=-

Revan rose a few hours later, and quickly got her Knight robes. Once she put them on, she examined herself in the mirror. Long black hair framed her face well, while the tight-fitting robes accentuated her attractive figure well. _'Why do the Jedi have robes that show off what they look like, then say all romantic relationships are dangerous? It seems kinda counter-productive.'_ Revan thought, as she headed out of the room, and into the Grand Hall waiting to be called up to be officially raised by the council.

Ten minutes passed, then Master Nomi Sunrider said, "Revan Tremaine, step forward."

Revan did as she was ordered, and knelt before the grand master of the Jedi Order. Nomi looked Revan in the eyes, and said, "Revan, you are hereby officially raised to the rank of Jedi Knight, and given all authority, freedom, and responsibility that title holds."

"Thank you, Master." Revan said.

"Rise, Jedi Knight." Nomi said.

The few people other than Revan and the council there, A couple of Padawans, Meetra, and another Knight, cheered as the new Knight stood up, and was guided out of the room by Kreia. Once they were in the back chamber, Kreia said, "You have learned your lessons here well, Revan. But, now there is nothing left for the masters here to teach you. So, it has been suggested by Grand Master Sunrider that you go to the training enclave on Dantooine to train under Master Vrook and Master Vandar. Vrook is the greatest living lightsaber wielder, and Vandar is the strongest user of the force in the Order."

"It would be an honor to train under them, master. Though, I will miss you and the others if I leave."

"If you should leave, as the council thinks is best, you will be fine. It is not like we cannot speak just because we are not on the same planet, Revan. I'm sure that Meetra would be very sad if you never sent a message her way while on Dantooine."

"I know, master. If it will help me learn to be a better Jedi, I will go."  
"We believe it will."

"Then I will go. When would you have me leave?"

"The next ship we're sending to Dantooine leaves tonight. You will not have much time to say goodbye if you want to be ready when the shuttle departs."

"I will be ready master." Revan said, "It has been an honor learning from you, Far-Seer."  
"You know that I don't actually see into the future. I already taught you how I see how things will happen. I see the patterns in things, and I understand the people involved with events. Just, don't read too much into the people on Dantooine at first. They may be... offended."

"Yes, master." Revan said, walking to her quarters accompanied by Kreia. When she was inside, she quickly went about gathering her things. While she did not have many possessions, the process of folding the Jedi robes properly was a difficult one, as there were several layers to each set of robes, and they had to be folded in a precise way to make it fit together perfectly. When she finally finished, Kreia said, "There is still an hour until the vessel departs. You should say goodbye to Meetra now. Since, she's the only friend you made."

Revan laughed, and said, "I suppose constantly trying to better learn how to combat the Mandalorians when I first showed up, and avoiding everyone who weren't my teachers didn't endear me to many people."

"Indeed. And, Revan, it has been a pleasure training you. Your thirst for knowledge has been incredibly refreshing, compared to many of the students I have trained in my time."

"I'll miss you master." she said, as she gave the old woman a hug, and walked out of the room, and headed to Meetra's room. Meetra was just sitting in the room, and said, "Hey, Revan! What you been up to all day?"

"I've been packing."

"What for?"

"The Council believes that it would benefit me to go to Dantooine and learn from Master Vrook and Master Vandar."

"Whoa, you've heard of Vrook's reputation, right?"

"He's stern, and doesn't accept any mistakes or sarcasm. I'll be fine, Meetra."

"Are you sure? Everyone knows you aren't one to treat everything incredibly seriously."

Revan laughed, and said, "What, you worried he'll break me and you won't ever get a chance to hook up with me?"

Meetra smiled, and walked up to Revan, and said, "Yeah."

Revan stepped back, and said, "I was kidding, Meetra. You're a great friend, but, I can't give you anything more than friendship. I... I just don't love you that way."

Meetra nodded, and said, "I understand, Revan. So, what you want to do before you leave?"

"There isn't too much time, but we could play a few hands of pazaak."

"I'm a bit rusty, you'll go easy on me, right, Revan?" Meetra asked as she grabbed her deck.

"Yeah right. I saw you playing with that one Knight. What's his name, Treanor?"

"Taylor." Meetra corrected.

"Right, well, I saw you playing with him, and it didn't look like you'd lost your touch at all." Revan said, sitting down at the table opposite Meetra. They quickly started the game, and Revan sighed when the first card she got on the table was a one. She looked at her hand, and thought, _'Great. A plus or minus one, two plus fives, and a plus four.'_

She sighed even deeper when Meetra got a ten as her first card. The blonde woman looked at Revan and smirked, and asked, "You worried about losing, Rev? We haven't even gotten the first set done."

"I'm not worried about losing, I'm worried about your head getting so big that it'll explode if you win I'd hate to have been responsible for your death." Revan teased, as she drew a ten herself.

Meetra smiled, and said, "You don't have to worry about that, young Knight." before she drew a nine and stoodwith it.

Revan was quiet, as she slowly drew the next card, a four. She stared contemplatively at her hand, then triumphantly played a plus five card.

Meetra said, "Suppose I should put one or two of those in my deck. Can't count how many times you've won a setbecause of those."

"I've also lost a lot more sets because I've had them in my deck, when I needed a lower plus card than I've won because of them." Revan said, as she shuffled the main deck. When she finished, she put it forward, and said, "You go first."

Meetra smirked, and drew a four. Revan got a six, then Meetra drew a five. On Revan's turn, she drew an eight, and Meetra let out a small groan, before she drew a two. Revan drew a seven, and thought,_'Do I drop it down to twenty, or save it and use it on a later set? There's still a good chance Meetra could draw a nine and get to twenty, even if I drop down. Then again, the odds are against it. Do I take the risk and play the card, or do I play it safe? Meetra's only got minus cards in her deck, but she could still pull a win if she goes a few high. I'm dragging this out too much. I'll just use the card.'_ When she played it as a minus one, Meetra said, "So, that's what you were thinking about. Thought you were wondering whether or not to use a minus two."

"Nope." Revan replied, and then continued with a "Shit!" when Meetra drew a nine. Then, she got a message on her datapad from Kreia, that said, "You need to come down to the shuttle now so you can board."

"Understood, Master." she sent. She then sighed, and said, "Fold. Have to go board now, apparently."

"Aww, and I was just about to make a big comeback, too." Meetra said, as the two Jedi put the game away, and walked away. As they walked through the temple, Meetra asked, "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yeah. But, don't worry, Meetra. I'll keep in touch." Revan said, while walking to the boarding ramp.

"You better." Meetra said, clearly fighting back tears.

"Don't cry, Meetra. I'll be fine out on Dantooine." Revan said, walking back to give her friend a hug.

Meetra sniffed, "I'll miss, you Revan."

"I'll miss you, too, Meetra." she said, as she boarded the shuttle. Inside, she was greeted by a tall, dark-haired man who said, "My name's Carth Onasi, Master Jedi. I'll be the pilot during your flight. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or another member of the crew."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Onasi." Revan said, shaking his hand.

"Likewise." he said.

"So, where are my quarters?" she asked.

"Go through the main hall, and take the first left. It's the third one on the right."

"Thank you." Revan said, following the man's instructions. As she tossed her luggage on the bed, she looked around the expansive suite. _'The council sure didn't spare any expense getting me this room. Must have been really expensive.'_ before walking out, and exploring the rest of the vessel. There wasn't much to see, though. There were two hallways out of a main corridor that led to the various cabins. Then, after that there was a large room for relaxing and eating in. The kitchen appeared to be in the back of the room. There was a small medical bay near the front manned by a single young woman who looked like it was her first time on a ship.

Revan said, "Hello, what's your name?"

"Stephenie Robinson, Master Jedi." She nervously said.

"First time on a ship?"

"Yes, ma'am. How could you tell?"

"You seem very nervous. You should relax. If you have any trouble with an injury, I'll try and help you. Though, there shouldn't be any injuries."

"Thank you Master Jedi! But I hope there aren't any injuries."

"Please, Stephanie, call me Revan. Everyone does."

"I'll try to remember to, Revan." she said.

"Thanks. Is there a training area on this ship?"

"No, ma'am."

"Thanks, I think I'll get going now."

"Of course." Stephanie said, watching Revan walk away.

Revan then ended up in the last area of the ship that was easily accessible, the cockpit. Inside was Carth, and a rodian, who seemed to be the less experienced of the two. She quietly watched as the two activated the ship's engines, and was not at all effected by the lurch of the vessel as it rose into the air, and struggled to pull out of Coruscant's atmosphere. Once the ship was in hyperspace, she asked, "So, how long will it be until we reach Dantooine?"

"A few days days." Carth said.

"I see." Revan said, "Do you know anything of the planet?"

"Not much. It's a farm planet, and there are only a few spaceports. The one we go to is the one at your enclave."

"Thanks for the info." Revan said, walking away. In the main room, she saw that not much was going on. Just an old couple talking to each other, a young man who looked about ready to strangle someone, and another Jedi. Revan walked up to the Jedi, and asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Knight Revan." The older man said. "Just waiting for our arrival on Dantooine so I might assume my new duties there."

"What would that be, Master?"

"The previous chronicler of the academy became one with the Force quite recently, and I was asked to take his place."

"Wouldn't they have chosen a new chronicler from one of the masters already there?"

"Not this time. It appears that his death was... unexpected. A group of kath hounds surprised him while he was taking a walk on the plains of Dantooine, and he had not brought his lightsaber with him. It was a great loss for the Order. He was an outstanding Jedi."

"Then it is unfortunate I did not have the chance to meet him."

"You would have liked him, Revan."

"What is your name, Master? I apologize, but I sometimes have difficulty remembering names."

"You don't need to apologize. I am Master Dorak."

"The head librarian at the temple?"

"Former head librarian now."

"Yes, excuse me, master, but I have had a long, difficult day today."

"Of course. We can talk more later." he said, pulling out a datapad and starting to read it. Revan walked back to her room, and collapsed into it exhausted, before falling asleep.

-=0=-

**A/N: Thanks for reading this. This chapter was just to introduce Revan and a few of the other characters, and show why Revan ends up on Dantooine. The next chapter should come out some time later this week, or early next week. Please drop a review and follow/favorite.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Plains of Dantooine

Revan woke up to someone shaking her, and saying, "Revan, we have arrived."

"What?"

"We have arrived on Dantooine." the person who had been shaking her said.

"Oh, how come we're here so soon? I just went to bed a few hours ago." Revan said as she opened her eyes and saw Master Dorak standing by her. She also saw Stephanie nervously standing on the other side of the small room. She turned to Dorak and asked, "What happened to me? Why was I out for so long?"

"Shortly after you went to get some sleep, we were pulled out of hyperspace and attacked by a group of Mandalorian raiders. When they first attacked, they hit the part of the ship with your quarters, and you were unconscious for the rest of the journey. We have tried to wake you twice before, but you remained asleep."

"Mandalorians." Revan spat out the name, "Why does the Republic let them run about without anyone to keep them in check?"

"To try and keep them in check is a task the Republic doesn't have the ships or soldiers to do."

"Something needs to be done. They attack wherever they please, and rob whoever they want."

"This was a small band." Dorak said, "In all likelihood, they were exiled by the Mandalorians, and became petty robbers because it was the only way for them to use their combat skills. And, none of them survived. We were lucky to have such a capable pilot."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"When the Mandalorians boarded, Onasi was out here in half a minute, and managed to take down three of the raiders before they could react. That probably saved the ship."

"I wish I could have fought them." Revan said.

"No you don't, Revan. Not really. I doubt you would even be able to stay calm enough to defeat one of them."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Revan said.

Dorak put a hand on Revan's shoulder, and said, "It doesn't matter. They are already dead and their bodies disposed of. Go gather your things, than meet with the Council here." Dorak said.

"Yes, Master." Revan said, walking towards her quarters. When she saw the state it was in, she thought, _'It's a good thing I had my stuff in the footlocker. If I hadn't put it there, chances are it would be floating around in the middle of a hyperspace route.'_

When she had her things, she walked out of the shuttle, and the first thing she saw was a young girl in Padawan's robes. Revan stayed in the ship for a moment to examine the girl. She was decently tall, had an amazing figure, and a face that would make an angel seem ugly. Revan then walked out, and the girl nervously stuttered out, "Umm,are you Knight Revan? If so I've been ordered by the Council to be your guide for... uh the first few days you're here. The local Council that is. Not the High Council on Coruscant. They've probably not even heard of me and probably never will."

Revan laughed, and said, "You can relax. I don't bite. What's your name, Padawan?"

"My name is Bastila Shan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bastila." Revan said, holding out her hand for Bastila to shake it. The young Padawan looked confused for a moment, then just walked towards the door.

Revan shook her head, and followed. _'Where could she be from that she doesn't even know about a handshake? Her accent is also very... unusual. It's not one I've heard before.'_

Meanwhile, she ended up walking into Bastila.

Revan blushed, realizing that the Enclave was in fact very small. She quickly said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you. I was just lost in thought."

Bastila just nodded, and said, "The Council is through there."

"Thanks for showing me where to go. I'd probably have taken the wrong path if you hadn't shown me the way to go."

"Your welcome." Bastila said, blushing with embarrassment at the compliment.

Revan calmly walked into the Council chambers, and bowed before the Masters. The leader, a short being with large ears, said, "Greetings, Knight Revan. I am Master Vandar, the head of the enclave here on Dantooine. With me are Masters Zhar and Vrook. And, I am sure you are already acquainted with Master Dorak, the new chronicler of the academy."

"Hello, Masters. It will be an honor to learn from you."

Vrook said, "Yes, let's hope that your talents aren't exaggerated by Kreia."

"I assure they are not."

"You were able to gain, and maintain, the upper hand in the duel for your Knight Trial starting a minute and a half in?"

"Yes, Master Vandar."

"And, managed to get through the crystal lake in an unprecedented two hours?"  
"Was it really only two?" Revan asked.  
"Enough, Vrook." Vandar said, "We were not at Revan's Knight Trial. It is not our place to question those who were."

"You are right, Master Vandar." Vrook said.

Then, Zhar said, "Master Dorak informed us of the troubles on your journey here, and, you would have needed time to acclimatize to Dantooine, so your training shall begin seven days from now. Until then, make yourself at home, and feel free to explore our enclave and the surrounding territory. Though, you should be careful. There are many kath hounds and they may attack you."

"I shall be careful, Masters."

"Also, as I am sure she has already told you, Bastila will be your guide until you have learned the lay of the land."

"Thank you for giving me a guide, Masters. But, will this get in the way of her training?"

"Bastila has been given some time off from her training to give her time to rest and recharge." Vandar said, "This will not have an effect on her progress."

"I see. Permission to leave, Masters?"

"You may leave, Revan." Vandar said.

She walked out of the room, and when she saw Bastila sitting on a bench near the door, Revan asked, "So, Bastila, would you please give me a tour of the enclave?"

"Um, sorry, what?"

"Would you please give me a tour of the enclave?"

"Of course. My apologies, Knight Revan."

"Please, Bastila, just call me Revan."

"Oh, okay, Revan." she said, "Right this way."

As they walked into a room on the far side of the hall, Bastila said, "This is the training hall, but not very many people use it. Preferring to train out on the plains."

Revan did not respond, still focused on Bastila's accent. _'Where is that accent from? It doesn't sound like any accent I've heard before.'_

Bastila then guided Revan to the central ring, and then to another small corridor. She said, "These are the rooms where people who have either abandoned their families, or were given up by their families stay until they have a more permanent place to stay."

Revan nodded, and walked behind Bastila. When they reached the next area, Bastila said, "This is the docking bay for ships, and on the right from exiting your ship you'll find a couple of shops. They'll sell you just about anything if you can afford it."

"Do they sell droid parts?"

"Or entire droids, if you want." Bastila said.

"Interesting." Revan said, "Anyways, were does the other door lead?"

"That's just some dorms for the Apprentices and Padawans. I'm not sure where the Knights or Masters stay."

Revan nodded, then finally asked, "Where's your accent from?"

"Why? Is it annoying?"

"No, it's just... different."

"It's a Talravin accent." Bastila said.

Revan said, "I've never met someone from Talravin." thinking, _'She's a lot more comfortable with this. It looks like she's done this before. It all seems to be rote to her.'_

"This is the exit from the Academy. There's not much to say about it."

"Yeah. So, Bastila, I've heard a few rumors that there's a crystal cave here on Dantooine. Are they accurate?"

"Yes, but the Council doesn't tell anyone where it is."

"I see. So, you ready to go cave hunting?"

"What? People have gotten into serious trouble for looking for it! We'd both probably have to spend a week sleeping on the plains, and that would be terrible."

Revan laughed, and said, "You're way too worried about it. Trust me, we'll be fine. And, I promise that if it looks like we are going to get into trouble, I'll tell them I pressured you into it."

"You'd do that for a complete stranger?"

"Not a complete stranger. A fellow Jedi."

"Alright, I suppose we can look, but we probably won't find anything."

"We won't know until we try." Revan said, walking out of the enclave. They walked through the small area where a few people waiting to see the Council about this or that were waiting. When they asked Revan if the Council was ready to see them, she responded, "I am afraid I do not know."

When they reached the grass, Revan just sighed and removed her boots. Enjoying the feel of the cool grass against her bare feet. Bastila looked at Revan confusion clear in her eyes. Revan said, "It feels nice. Try it."

Bastila shook her head, and Revan said, "You should relax some. It's not like there's going to be anyone to judge you for walking around barefoot a little."

"I just... I don't feel comfortable acting so... casual when around higher ranked Jedi. Especially one with a reputation like yours."

"Oh? What kind of reputation do I have?" Revan asked with a single eyebrow raised.

"Well, you're kinda like a legend around here. Raised to Padawan before most had gotten halfway through their Apprentice training. Then, the way you were when you first showed up on Coruscant. Just talking about hunting and killing Mandalorians. Then, to top it off, you were raised to Knight more than five years before the average. Not to mention you were said to be prone to getting on the cases of other Padawans if they didn't act befitting a Jedi."

"I did do that." Revan said, "But, you don't have to worry, Bastila. The people I got on the case of... they were acting like they were on the verge of falling to the Dark side. I just didn't want to ever say that I let someone fall."

"There were people on _Coruscant_ that were on the verge of falling? That can't be possible!"

"Jedi trained at the temple are no different from those trained anywhere else. They're in just as much danger of falling as any other Jedi. Maybe even more."

"Why would they be in more danger?"

"They could grow complacent. Grow to rely too heavily on other Jedi being present to make sure that they don't fall. Then, the first time they're on their own, they don't know how to control themselves, so they could fall."

"That's terrible." Bastila said, shock clear in her voice.

"Yes." Revan said, looking around the plains. Then, she saw a rodian sitting by a speeder. She walked up to him, and asked, "Excuse me, have you seen a cave from which glowing crystals grow?"

He responded, _"No. I stay here and provide firearms to the locals. I provide them with a solution to the savage kath hounds who roam this planet."_

"I see." Revan said, somewhat disappointed. She walked away from him, and said, "Looks like we'll have to keep looking."

"I could have told you that he had no interest in it. He just worries about selling as many blasters to the local farmers as possible. And, he's had a pretty successful business with a couple of them."

"What do you mean?"

"It isn't important."

"What families are buying a lot of blasters from that rodian? And why?

"You wouldn't know them. They're a couple of rich farmers who haven't gotten along since they first landed here. They're constantly bickering and blaming each other for any problems that they have."

"Will we encounter them on our search?"

"Probably. The Matale estate is very close, and the cave's probably beyond it." Bastila said.

Revan nodded, then said, "Why don't you choose which direction we look? I need a little bit of time to think."

"Uh... but you're a Knight, and I'm just a Padawan. Wouldn't you stay in command the entire time?"

"No," Revan said, "every now and then, I like to just take a minute to think. And, I've learned a lot while here, and need to figure out if any of it is important."

"Then, I guess we can choose which way we go." Bastila said, taking the lead, clearly nervous.

Revan walked behind her, silently observing the Padawan. When she was in front of Revan, she was nervous. But, when she was following her, she had seemed perfectly calm. _'She's not confident in a command position. Why?'_

Bastila continued to walk, changing direction a couple of times. _'She's indecisive. Maybe she's got a harsh Master.' _Revan continued to observe Bastila, and noticed something else. She frequently fiddled with a bracelet on her right wrist. It was a simple titanium band with her name engraved on the outside. _'That bracelet. It came from someone she cares a great deal about. But, it's not someone she's afraid of the Council knowing about. Either dead, or family.'_

Bastila then turned around, and asked, "What? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, I'm just having trouble figuring something out." Revan said, realizing that her observing probably hadn't been exactly subtle.

Bastila nervously nodded, and started walking again. Revan noticed a slight change in her demeanor, however. _'She must have realized what I was doing. So, she's trying to keep me from figuring out everything there is to know about her.'_

Then, Revan asked, "Bastila, how did you end up with the Order?"

She said, "It probably wouldn't interest you. There's not really anything special about me."

"I don't ask questions that I don't want to know the answer to."

"I was found to be strong in the force, and my mother gave me over to the Jedi for training."

"What about your father?"

"He didn't want to let me go, but my mother was determined to get rid of me."

"That seems like a strange thing for a mother to do." Revan said, "Why are you so certain that it was her?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, if that's alright." Bastila said.

"Alright." Revan said, then she quickly placed a hand on her lightsaber, and motioned for Bastila to do the same.

A pair of war droids walked up to them, and said, "This is private property. By what authority are you trespassing?"

"I'm a Jedi Knight. And, we're just passing through."

"A Jedi? Mr. Matale would like to speak with you."

"Why?"

The droid didn't reply, but instead started to walk towards a nearby building. Revan said, "I guess I should see what this Matale guy wants."

"I doubt that it's anything that a Jedi should do. He's constantly trying to get the Council to send the Sandral family off of Dantooine."

"Why?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he is an unpleasant man who will do whatever he can to get what he wants. Even if it isn't legal." Bastila said, her voice dripping with contempt.

When they reached the building, a thin, tall man walked up, and said, "My battle droids tell me you are a Jedi Knight."

"I am." Revan said, "And you are?"

"Ahlan Matale."

"What do you want with me?"

"Not you in particular. I would like you to go to the Sandral estate and take back my property which they stole from me."

"What did they steal?"

"A _very _valuable protocol droid. I want it back, and I don't care what lengths I have to go to in order for that to happen."

"Why are you sure that the Sandral family is behind it?"

"Because, _Jedi,_" Ahlan sneered, "when I first brought my family to Dantooine to escape the crush of humanity on the Core Worlds, the Sandral family followed us from Coruscant. Ever since then, they have been a blight on me and my kin. I cannot even let my own son out of the house for fear that the Sandral vermin may try to abduct him and sell him into slavery unless I leave and let them have all of my land."

"If that is the case, that is terrible." Revan said, "But, your attitude makes me wonder if you aren't just telling me what you think will get you what you want. Why is this droid so important to you?"

"It is my son's tutor. If I lose it, I will not have a tutor that I can trust. It is the only one of its kind on Dantooine."

"I will look into its disappearance. But, I doubt that this other family is involved. In all likelihood it just wandered off and was attacked by some kath hounds or iriaz it provoked on accident."

"Not likely, with Sandrals prowling about on Dantooine."

Revan walked away and Ahlan went back in. Once they were gone, Bastila said, "Surely you could tell that he was lying about the droid."

"Yes, but when someone like that has six heavily armed war droids with blasters at the ready, you let them think they have gotten what they want, so they don't tell their droids to attack. If he had given that order, we probably wouldn't have survived, and he'd have moved our bodies to the Sandral Estate, or just left us here, to say that the Sandrals did it, and tried to frame him."

"Are you certain he'd do that? It seems a bit, absurd to order the deaths of two Jedi and expect to get away with it."

Revan laughed, and asked, "He's paranoid and insane. Not to mention has an open disdain for Jedi, he probably would do it if he hadn't gotten what he wanted."

Bastila nodded, and followed Revan, as they walked to the ancient grove. There, Revan sat down, and said, "There is something... strange about this place."

"It's an ancient grove that's older than the Republic." Bastila said, "Often young Jedi who break the rules are sent here to meditate."

Revan nodded, and said, "Yeah. One of them has been sent here a lot more than any other. So much that there's a... mark here."

"I don't think that anyone would have left a mark. No one is sent out here very often."

"Maybe I'm just imagining things." Revan said, standing up, then stumbling forward, clutching her head. She then said in a gravelly voice, _"Oportet stare et pugnare! Tempus est ut conditores non sumus servi, sed liberi! Quid nos pugnabimus! Pugnabimus reverti domos et cementariis et iter! Ventilabis eos et mus spelunca, et delere debemus!"_

Bastila looked confused, and just backed away, and was about to turn around, when Revan stopped talking, and tried to regain her balance. She said, "Hey, Bastila. This is a bit embarrassing but could you help me stand? I'm not feeling very stable on my feet right now."

"Um..." Bastila said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

"Please?" Revan said.

Bastila still didn't respond, then Revan continued, "I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. I just need a little bit of help."

Bastila finally consented, saying, "Um, I guess I can help you." walking up to Revan, she placed an arm around Revan's shoulder, and the Knight threw one over her shoulder, and they stumbled for a little bit, Revan blushing a bright red.

After a few unstable minutes, Revan regained her balance, and said, "Thanks, Bastila. I think I can stand on my own now."

Bastila quickly removed her arm from Revan's shoulder, and walked a few feet away. Revan shook her head, and thought, _'Does she think that anyone who's achieved Knight wouldn't ever need help, or is it that she doesn't feel comfortable helping people like that.'_

Meanwhile Bastila was thinking, _'Why am I always like this? Why am I always so bloody nervous that I can't even be near anyone who outranks me without being as jittery as a squirrel which is on a caffeine drip? And what is with Revan? She acts so relaxed and calm, not to mention a bit of an extrovert. Everything I'd heard about the Far-Seer's Padawan was that she was a loner, didn't feel relaxed near other people because of a difficult early childhood, and that she was never calm. And, I can't believe she was trying to read me while 'processing' some information! The gall of her! I should just ask if I can quit being her guide now, and never have to deal with her again.'_

Then, Revan broke Bastila out of her thoughts, by asking, "You okay? You've just been standing there looking annoyed for a few minutes."  
Bastila cleared her face of all emotion, and -without emotion- said, "I'm fine."

"Riiiiight. People who are fine don't put up the facade of the cold, emotionless Jedi."

"It's nothing."

"If it's nothing, then how come your face is all scrunched up like a kinrath pup?"

"I look nothing like a kinrath pup!"

"You're right. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by asking for help."

"I wasn't offended, just surprised. Everything I'd heard about you said that you were completely different from what you're really like."

"What? Did you hear that I was always on edge, didn't get along with anyone, and only thought about fighting Mandalorians?"

"Um... actually yes."

"That was years ago." Revan said, _'If I want her to tell me more about herself, I'll have to be open with her. Even if it isn't something I don't want to talk about.'_

Then, Bastila asked, "Why were you trying to read me earlier, while you said you were processing information?"

"I like to know as much as possible. The only reason I came here was because Master Kreia told me that I could learn more here than on Coruscant."  
Bastila nodded, and asked, "Why do you hate the Mandalorians."

Revan winced and thought, _'Great. She has to choose the one question that is hardest to answer. Why is it that every beautiful woman in the galaxy has the innate ability to ask you what you least want to share?'_ then answered, "When I was young, about six years old, they raided my homeworld. A lot of people were killed that day, and I was one of the few they didn't kill. Instead they captured me and sold me as a slave to some bastard on Nar Shaddaa. For two years I lived as a slave. I got lucky that an old man noticed my plight, and managed to convince my owner to release me. Then, he sent me to the temple on Coruscant, while going his own way."

"Who was this old man?"

"He didn't tell me much about himself. Typical of people on Nar Shaddaa, but he did tell me that his name was Jolee Bindo, and that he was a former Jedi. He insisted that he didn't leave the Jedi, but they left him."

"What does that even mean?" Bastila asked.

"I don't know. All I do know is that he was going his own merry way, and was just taking me to a safer planet before sending me to Coruscant to become a Jedi."

"What was Nar Shaddaa like?"

Revan looked up for a moment, then said, "You ever been to a planet where you have to go everywhere heavily armed or you'll get mugged, murdered, and/or raped?"  
"No."

"Well Nar Shaddaa is like that. There isn't any law or order there. Hutts run it, and the only time they punish someone is when they don't get their cut of the profits. It was a cesspool, and anyone raised there won't be well-adjusted. The entire planet is criminals, except for a few corporations doing experiments other places wouldn't allow."

"And you were a slave there for two years? It's a miracle you're normal at all."

"I wasn't even sane at first." Revan said, walking forward.

Bastila nodded, and let the topic drop. They walked a bit further, then turned back. Revan said, "The Council will want us to be back soon probably."

"You're right." Bastila said.

As they walked along the path back, Bastila took the lead on Revan's request, and the Knight didn't try to analyze her, but simply stared at the titanium band. Then, Bastila stopped, and said, "Would you please stop that? Your staring is making me uncomfortable."

"Sorry, just trying to figure out why the Council hasn't pushed you to not wear that bracelet."

"They tried to. Especially Vrook." Bastila said, "He said that any remnant of life before the Order could lead to the dark side, and that it would be best if all were destroyed. That was the one thing I was able to refuse the Council."

"What else did they try to get you to do?"

"They made me study Battle Meditation. I didn't think I could do it at all."

"And can you?"

"It's actually really easy. I don't know why everyone says it's difficult."

Revan laughed, and said, "I remember when I tried to learn it on Coruscant, I worked for six months, but wasn't able to do anything with it. Kreia said that my efforts would be better spent on learning different arts of the Force."

"You had trouble with it?" Bastila asked.

"Yeah. Still can't do it."

"But... it's so easy!" Bastila protested.

"You probably have a natural talent for it. Me, I can't do it at all."

"That's what the Council kept saying. I seriously doubt it though."

"You really lack confidence. Why?"

"I... I feel like I'm not very good at anything."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I just do."

"Who's your master?"

"Quatra."

"The Cathar master?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I've heard she's a bit... harsh on her students. Even harsher than Vrook."

"Master Vrook isn't very harsh with his students." Bastila said.

"Why are you even under Quatra?"

"I was placed under Quatra when it turned out I was good at Battle Meditation."

"When was that?"

"Four years ago."

Revan nodded, and walked into the Enclave. Bastila then asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

"Where's the mess hall?"

"The mess hall's this way." Bastila said, leading Revan through a door in the docking bay area just through the way to the main dorms. Inside, Revan and Bastila quickly got some food, and were about to go there separate ways when Revan said to a tall man with blue tattoos on his bald head, "It's rude to stare, Padawan."

He stammered out, "My apologies, Knight. I was just surprised to see someone new at the Enclave."

"That doesn't give you the right to stare. Might make a girl think you weren't staying completely faithful to the Jedi Code."

"I am faithful to the Code." he said.

"Right, what's your name, Padawan?"

"Alek."

"Well, Alek, I don't care about staying one-hundred percent faithful to it, but I don't like people staring at me. So, just don't do it again."

"Of course, Knight."

"Call me Revan." she said, walking over to the tall guy's table and sitting down opposite him. She then asked, "So, Malak, how good are you with a lightsaber?"

"Master Vrook says I am quite skilled and that in a couple of years I may be ready to advance to Knight."

"Good enough for me. Do you have training tomorrow?"

"No, what is it you want, Knight?"

Revan looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation, then whispered, "I'm looking for the crystal cave. It might have dangerous creatures in it, so I'll need someone who's good with a lightsaber and confident in their abilities. And, having someone big would be helpful too. Even if you aren't as good as you say you are, your size could make a good distraction for whatever could be in there."

"I suppose I could help you. But I only have a couple of days off of training."

"Should be long enough." Revan said, then noticed Bastila was sitting alone at a small table in the corner. She asked, "What's with her? She doesn't really have any confidence?"

"Shan? She's been working with Quatra for a while. That's enough to break anyone."

"Yeah, but she's also constantly fiddling with that bracelet of hers."

"You probably know more of her than I do, Revan. I haven't talked to her except for a couple of times, when a few of the Padawans were set to dueling others of equal rank, to see who had advanced most in their training."

"Got it. Well, it was fun talking to you, baldy." Revan said, picking up her tray.

-=0=-

**A/N: Here's chapter two. Hope you liked it. Next chapter should be up within a day or two. Thanks for reading and please review/follow/favorite.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Crystal Cave

Revan walked over to Bastila's table, and said, "You really shouldn't eat alone, Bastila."

The Padawan sighed, and said, "I was hoping you'd end up talking with Alek, and I'd have a moment of peace and quiet."

"If you don't want to talk that's fine. But, you shouldn't be eating all alone." Revan said, as she began to dig in to her meal.

"Why are you pestering me?" Bastila asked.

"Well, you're a great guide, a pretty nice person, and you look like you need a friend."

"I've stuck to the Code just fine without a friend. I think I can last without making one."

Revan said, "This isn't about following the Code. Advanced races are social creatures. If they don't talk to others and make friends every now and then they'll go crazy. It's just human nature to want, or at least need, friends."

"I'm fine without friends." Bastila said, "After all, you're probably just trying to figure out why I'm so attached to my bracelet."

"That's not it at all." Revan said, "I'm just trying to be a friend. There aren't any ulterior motives. But, I am confused as to why you're suddenly so hostile."

Bastila sighed, and said, "I really don't like Alek."

"Why?"

"He," Bastila began, lowering her voice to a whisper, "is not a very good Jedi. He's been caught multiple times watching the girls' showers."

"I didn't know that. I suppose I'll have to have a very firm talk with him tomorrow."

"What?"

"He'll be coming along with us tomorrow in case we find the cave, that way he'll at least be a distraction for the creatures in there. And, possibly even a good fighter to take out a few hostiles.

"You talk very... military. Why?"

"When I first arrived on Coruscant, the Council was really busy and couldn't see me for a while. A veterans center took me in when they heard what had happened to me. I spent a month or so around former military guys, and ended up talking a lot like them."

"What about Alek. Do you think it's even safe to have him around? He might try something inappropriate."

"I plan to read up on his penance record, and see what he's gotten in trouble for in the past. So, I'll be ready for anything he can try."

"Are you even allowed to take a look at those?"

"Knights are allowed to look at Padawan penance records. On Coruscant anyways."

"Then at least we'll know how many times he's done it. I know he did it at least once when I was taking a shower." Bastila shuddered.

Revan said, "I'll be sure to make so that he doesn't do it again." as she finished her food, she looked around, and asked, "There any other perverts? Or is Baldy the only one?"

"He's the only one I know of."

Revan nodded, and the two finished their meals in silence. Then, Revan stood up and said, "Follow me."

"Why?"

Revan did not respond, but instead walked away from Bastila. The Padawan curiously followed the dark haired Knight, and they were soon in the training room. Revan drew her lightsaber, and ignited it. She said, "Draw your blade."

Bastila obeyed, and the two were pacing in a circle in the training room. They slowly moved, then, Revan leapt towards Bastila. As the sapphire blade approached the Padawan, she rolled out of the way, and swung at Revan's knees.

The Knight easily deflected it, and said, "Never go for the legs at first. It's an obvious move, and anyone you'd fight would see it coming from a hundred miles away." before swinging at Bastila's left arm.

Bastila quickly switched her lightsaber to her left hand, and managed to block it. She grunted as she felt the force of Revan's strike, but held her ground. Revan hopped a couple of feet back, and the two once again circled each other. Revan calmly walked to the left, while Bastila went to the right. Then, Revan seized the Force, and morphed it to increase her speed. She charged at Bastila, and as she swung, the young brunette was too slow to block the blade, and it struck the top of her shoulder, barely stopping before severing her head.

Revan looked surprised, then healed Bastila's wound. She said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you like that."

Bastila said, "It isn't your fault I wasn't fast enough to block."

"It's my fault I nearly chopped your head off." Revan replied.

"If I was better with the lightsaber, I would have been able to block it."

"Bastila. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault." Revan said, sounding frustrated.

"But, I wasn't fast enough to block it."

"Yes, but I should not have been striking for the head. That put you in danger. Therefore, it is my fault that you nearly died just now."

Bastila nodded, then a harsh voice shouted in Catharese, _"What are you doing, Knight?"_

"My apologies, Master Quatra." Revan said, "I was practicing my lightsaber skills with Bastila. I thought that it would be a mutually beneficial training session."

_"Do you think that I am incapable of training my own Padawan, Knight?"_

"That is not it, Master. I was merely attempting to keep my skills sharp. And, I believed that Bastila might gain some confidence if she were to be able to hold her own in a fight. I was not attempting to overstep my bounds."

"_Well, Knight, remember that just because you were Kreia's star pupil does not mean that you can go about and attempt to take a Master's place as a teacher."_

"I wasn't trying to, Master."

_"Remember to not overstep your bounds again, Revan. Next time, there will be severe consequences. And, do not even think of taking my student anywhere near the crystal cave. If you do, you will have me to face in combat."_

"The Council ordered Bastila to accompany for the first week that I am here. If I find the cave, then I will not delay going in just because you are paranoid, Master."

Quatra said in Basic, "Your insolence is not surprising, for one spoiled on Coruscant. Here on Dantooine we give actual punishments. You will spend the next three nights alone on the plains of Dantooine."

However, then Vandar walked in, and said, "I am afraid that I will have to overrule your decision, Master Quatra."

"You would allow her to get away with such insolence, Master Vandar?"

"She was disrespectful, but that is not a punishment given to Jedi Knights. It is for apprentices and Padawans. Revan, for your disrespect to Master Quatra, you shall have to meditate at the ancient grove for two hours every day for the rest of this week."

"Meditation, Vandar? That is what you deign to be sufficient? If you only have her meditate in the grove, she will never learn respect!"

"Enough, Quatra." Vandar said, "My decision is final. If you continue to complain, you may meditate with Revan."

Quatra said, "You do not have the authority to place any penance upon me."

"I speak with the authority as the head of the Council here on Dantooine. If you wish, I could call the other members of the Council and tell them how you are questioning my judgment on how to treat one of my students. I am sure that they will support the motion to remind you that you do not have the final say on all matters here on Dantooine, Quatra."

The Cathar looked shamed, and said, "Very well, Master Vandar. I shall trust in your judgment on this matter." she then turned to Bastila, and said, "You, however, are to go to your quarters now."

"Yes, Master." Bastila meekly said, and quietly walked away. Quatra also left, leaving Revan alone with the small Master.

"Thank you, Master Vandar." she said.

The old alien said, "You are welcome, Revan. Quatra often forgets her place with Knights or Padawans that are not her own students. But, you must show more respect to her in the future. If any other Knight showed any other Master that kind of disrespect, I would have let her judgment stand. It is not your place to make judgments on Quatra for

"I understand, Master."

Then, Vandar smiled, and said, "Before I go, and do not let anyone else hear this, but you were right in what you said. You should not let her fear control you." before walking away.

Revan stood there, and asked herself, _'Did Master Vandar really just tell me that I was right to question Quatra? Oh well, I should go find out where I'm supposed to get some sleep.'_

She walked out, and was greeted by Master Vrook. He said, "Knight Revan, follow me."

"Yes, Master." she said. They walked out of the Enclave, and were soon in a small cluster of buildings. He led her to one of them near the edge, and said, "This is where you will be staying while on Dantooine."

"Thank you for showing me, Master."

"If you are going to do well in your training, you will need proper rest. The training you will go through here, will be far more difficult than anything you've gone through up to this point."

"I understand, Master." Revan said, entering the small building. Inside she immediately saw that in the back of the small 'cottage' there was a kitchen beyond a small living room area. She walked through a door on the right and was in a small bedroom with a simple bed in the middle against the wall. Through another door there was a closet with a few Jedi Knight robes in it.

She exited the room, and went through the other door, which led to the bathroom. She then checked the fridge, and found it well supplied.

-=0=-

The next morning Revan, walked out of her new home, and headed to the Enclave. Inside, she was greeted by Alek, who said, "Where are we going to be looking, Revan?"

"We'll have to wait for Bastila to show up before we set out." she said.

A few minutes later Bastila walked up, and said, "Sorry about taking so long."

"It's alright. Let's get going." Revan said, leading the group out of the structure. Once they reached the Matale estate, Revan turned to Alek, and brought up her datapad. She said, "Alek, it says here that you've been found watching the girls' showers five times. Now, I don't care why you did it, but, if you ever do it again, I will send you off to fight an entire Mandalorian battle fleet on your own. If the Masters try to prevent that, I will not listen to them, and you will be on a shuttle, and if I find out you ran away from the fight, I will hunt you down, and force you to do it. Is that clear?"

Alek was frozen. Revan had not raised her voice once, but as she had continued speaking it had become more and more cold. Once he nodded, Revan continued, "It's people like you that make me wonder why Jedi are respected so much." before setting off towards the Matale estate. Then, they were greeted by another war droid. It said, "Jedi, you have not finished Mr. Matale's task. Leave these grounds until you have."

Revan walked past it, and said, "We were just walking through. If he doesn't want people going through his property, he should create a path to the grove that doesn't require trespassing."

Alek looked at the droid, then said, "Revan, where are we headed?"

"I figured we'd go and check with the Sandral family to see if they know where the crystal cave is."

"They probably don't. They've spent most of their time here practically fighting a war with the Matales."

"The Council should intervene and make them quit fighting." Bastila said.

"Just because you're told to not do something, doesn't mean you won't do it." Revan said, nodding at Alek.

He said, "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"Good. I don't want to have to send you to your death." Revan said, as they walked through the ancient grove. Then, she saw a small kath hound laying wounded on the ground. She tried to walk over to it and examine the wound, but it growled at her, so she stepped back. Examining it from a distance, Revan noticed that it had been shot. She said, "Bastila, be ready to use the force to stun this thing if it attacks. Alek, have your lightsaber ready to be ignited if it makes any sudden movements."

They nodded, and Revan moved slowly towards it. Gently humming a soothing tune as she drew nearer to it.

When it started growling once again, Revan reached out with the force and gently touched the creature's mind. She used the Force to press upon its consciousness that she was a friend. Time seemed to crawl as she gently approached the wounded hound. Then, when she was finally within range to touch it, she placed a single hand on its side, and molded the Force to heal the wound.

While she healed away the blaster wound, her hands were lit up with a gentle blue glow. When she finished, the hound jumped to its feet and sat in front of her.

Alek said, "I think it likes you."

"I've always wanted a pet kath hound." Revan said, with a grin on her face as she pet the creature. It let out a soft, purring sound, and as the group started walking out of the area, it stuck at Revan's side. A few minutes later, a pair of horn kath hounds charged, and the three Jedi drew their weapons and ignited them. The small hound slowly backed away, and its fear was great enough for Revan, Alek, and Bastila to feel it even when they entered a battle trance.

The horn hounds charged, and Revan's blade quickly removed the horns of the one at the front. Bastila used its loss of its weapons as a chance to use the Force to fling a massive stone nearby into it. As it crumpled, Alek simply stabbed the other one, and Revan said, "Nicely done, baldy! Love the finesse of your style."

"It was effective." was his simple response.

"And what I'd expect someone who'd never used a lightsaber before to do. Not someone who says his Master told him he's almost ready to be raised to Jedi Knight." she teased, walking over to the whimpering animal, and patting its head. She then whispered, "It's okay boy. I won't let them hurt you."

Bastila laughed, and said, "Are you really going to keep that as a pet?"

"You bet! Isn't he cute?"

"I guess."

"He'll need a name. What do you think of maybe horny?"

Bastila said, "That's a terrible name."

"Uh, then how about Dinner?"

"Dinner's an atrocious name for a kath hound!" Bastila said. "Even if you were going to eat it."

"Then I guess I'll go with Urz. Sounds like it belongs on a kath hound." Revan said.

"I guess." Bastila said.

After that, the group walked in silence, until they saw a metallic glint on a rock near them. Revan sprinted over to it, and saw that it was a protocol droid. It let out a groan, and Revan asked, "What happened to you?"

"I was put here by Mr. Matele's war droids after he disapproved of one of the lessons I gave his son."

"I _knew_ he was lying about the droid being taken by the Sandrals!" Bastila said.

Revan said, "I didn't doubt you." Before asking the droid, "What was the lesson he didn't like?"

"He did not approve of my teaching young Shen that all organics, regardless of species or skin color are equal."

"He didn't like that?"

"No, he shouted at me for a great while. Saying that anyone who was not a Caucasian human was inferior."

"What? That's bullshit!" Revan said.

"They were his words, Master Jedi. Not mine." the droid said in defense.

"I know. Is there anything else you can tell us about Ahlan Matale?"

"No. I have been out here for quite some time."

Revan nodded, then turned to Alek and said, "Take this droid back to the Enclave. Tell the droid shop owner to hold it there until I come to pick it up. I'll cover the expenses."

"Very well." he said, and, using the Force, was able to pick up the droid.

Once she and Bastila were alone, Revan said, "At least he can follow orders."

"Well, he might be worried that you'll have him killed if he doesn't."

"Only if he doesn't give people the proper privacy when they're showering." Revan said.

The two walked in silence through the plains, until they saw another farm house in the distance. Revan grinned and said, "I bet you can't get there from here in under thirty seconds."

"You're probably right."

"Really, Shan?" Revan asked, sounding surprised, "I know you lack self-confidence, but you should at least try. You'll never know your limits if you never push yourself."

Bastila sighed, and said, "Alright. I guess I'll try." Just tell me when to go."

Revan pulled out her datapad, hit a few keys, then said, "Go!" at that instant, Bastila shot forward, and twenty-nine and a half seconds later, she was at the Sandral estate. Revan soon joined her, and said, "Well, you beat it by half a second."

"Really?" Bastila asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"Yep. So, let's see what this Mr. Sandral is like. Hopefully less demanding than Matale."

"He's a nice enough person if you aren't a Matale. And, he doesn't see Jedi as tools. He's always helpful when people ask him questions."

"Sounds like a good guy." Revan said, as she walked up to the protocol droid. She then said, "Could we speak with Mr. Sandral?"

The droid replied, "Nurik will gladly see you in the main hall directly through the door."

"Thanks." Revan said, walking into the building. Inside was akin to a garden, and sitting in the middle of the room was a dark-skinned man was sitting on a bench looking rather worried. He said, "Hello, Master Jedi. I'm sorry that I can't offer you a more enthusiastic greeting, but I have a lot on my mind."

"What's wrong?"

"My daughter Rahasia sneaked out of the house earlier today, and I have had to have all of my people go looking for her. Is there any way I can help you?"

Revan was quiet, then asked, "Is there a crystal cave on your estate?"

"Yes, why?"

"Young children, even those who cannot learn to use the Force, can sometimes feel drawn towards places where the Force is incredibly strong."

"There is one to the east."

"We shall look for her there, Mr. Sandral."

"Thank you, Master Jedi."

"It's not a problem." She said, leaving the area followed by Bastila. They headed to the east, and saw that the entire area beyond the farmhouse. After a wile, Revan simply paused near the edge of a cliff, and stared out at it. She simply stood there in silence, staring at the plains. Tears slowly began to fall down her cheeks.

Bastila asked, "What's wrong."

"It looks a lot like Deralia. Before the Mandalorians hit it."

"Oh. We should probably get looking for Nurik's daughter."

"You're right." Revan said, walking towards the cave. Before entering it, she said to Urz, "Stay."

The kath hound obediently sat down, and watched the two women enter the cave. Inside it was a single pitch-dark tunnel. Revan heard a silent whimper, and said, "Bastila, get your lightsaber out. I've got a feeling we're going to have to fight the inhabitants of this cave to get the kid out of here."

Bastila just nodded, and ignited her yellow blade. At that moment, four kinrath charged them, but were frozen in the spot by Revan. The two Jedi charged the animals, and quickly dispatched them, only for a half dozen more to charge at them.

Revan slew the one in the front with a quick slash from her lightsaber, but had to jump over the group to avoid being bitten by the two behind it.

Then, she threw her weapon into the three making up the back as sweat began to trickle down her face. Two kinrath behind her charged, and while she was able to throw one into the wall with the Force, the other one bit her.

She let out a silent cry of pain, as she felt the venom begin to flow through her veins. While she collapsed, she looked and saw that Bastila was having difficulty getting to a point where she could attack the pair of kinrath trying to get her. She had to return her attention to the kinrath attacking her, since it had pounced on her. She pushed at it, trying to get it off of her, but it refused to budge.

Panic ran through her veins, but then she heard the whimper again, and it was louder. _'Whoever is making that sound sounds a lot like I did when Deralia was hit, and everyone but me was killed. If I die, there's a good chance she will too.'_

Revan then drew in the Force, and using all of its might in the cave, sent the kinrath flying into the ceiling. She then turned to Bastila and froze the two that were trying to attack the Padawan. When Bastila let out a sigh of relief Revan smiled, but then collapsed. She looked at her leg, and saw that it was oozing a strange, black fluid.

While Bastila ran over to her, Revan pulled out an antidote kit but, dropped the syringe when she tried to inject the fluid into her leg. Revan looked up, and said, "Could you get that syringe, and just stab it into my leg?"

Bastila nodded, and a few seconds later, Revan let an _"Ahh." _of relief. She then stood up, smiled at Bastila, and walked to the source of the sound. It was a small girl who had managed to climb up one of the massive crystals, and a group of kinrath were standing around it.

Revan said, "Bastila, don't move."

"Why? What's going on?"

"You're about to find out." the Knight replied, as she reached out to the Force through the crystals along the walls. They began to glow dozens of times brighter than before, and before the kinrath could react, they were suddenly in the air, and being impaled upon the glowing stones. Revan then collapsed, gasping for breath. She said, "Those things are heavy." before walking around the cave. After ten minutes, she grabbed a ledge and pulled herself up. On that ledge, she pulled out a crystal, and said, "Alright, let's get the kid and get out of here." Revan said.

Bastila did as she was told, and the little girl nervously jumped down, and Bastila caught her. The three quietly left the room, Revan watching Bastila as she carried the scared Rahasia. _'Looks like she's good with kids. Rahasia's already calming down.'_

Once they were out of the structure, they were greeted by Urz, who quickly ran up to Revan. She pet the kath hound's head, and walked over to a nearby battle droid. She said, "We've found Rahasia."

The droid said, "Excellent. Please follow me."

The group complied, and were inside the building a few minutes later. When Nurik saw Rahasia walk in he said, "Rahasia!" and ran up to his daughter giving her a hug. He said, "Don't ever do that again. I was so worried about you!"

"I won't daddy. The monsters in the cave are scary."

"I told you that it isn't safe to leave home alone." he said.

Revan nodded, and said, "I think we should get going."

Bastila nodded, and when they were out, she asked, "Why did you let that kinrath get you?"

Revan grinned, and said, "To see how you'd handle it on your own."

When she saw the look of shock on Bastila's face, Revan burst out laughing. A few minutes later she was clutching her side, and said, "I'm kidding, Bastila. I didn't _let_ it get me, it just manged to."

Bastila gently punched Revan on the shoulder, and said, "Really? Why did you say that it was to test me then?"

"Looks like you're growing a spine, Bastila." Revan teased, as she started walking to the enclave.

"Are you saying that I'm a coward, Revan?"

"Not a coward, Bastila. More along the lines of... molded so that you won't question what you're told."

"So I'm just clay to be molded? Is that it?"

"I don't see you that way. But, sometimes I think that the Masters see students as nothing more than clay. I remember a few times when they took personal offense to others even giving advice to their students. Like someone who had been working on making something from clay, then someone else came along and did something with it that they didn't want."

"You seem to have a lot of contempt for the Jedi Masters."

"Not exactly contempt. I just think they're stuck in a rut that's so old no one notices it anymore."

"That's a terrible thing to say about the Order." Bastila protested.

"It may be, but take the Jedi Code. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

"What's wrong with it?" Bastila asked.

"It deals in absolutes. To say that there is no _anything_ is foolish. And, the Jedi Order has made those absolutes the basis of their teachings. That's left them in a rut, where they will not consider any other opinions. So, they've been in a rut that they've been making deeper for over a thousand years."

Bastila was quiet for a while, then asked, "Why haven't you mentioned this to any of the Masters in the Council?"

"I mentioned it to Master Sunrider on Coruscant when I was still a Padawan, and she simply said that while the Code was flawed, there was no point in mentioning it to anyone. That the Masters were unwilling to consider it, since they've spent so much of their life under its teachings that they can't think beyond it."

Bastila didn't respond, but instead the two walked the rest of the way back to the Enclave in silence. Before they entered, Revan said, "Bastila, please don't tell the Masters what I said about them and the Code. It would cause trouble that I don't want to have to deal with."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"You're still young enough that the Code isn't what defines you. So, maybe there can be some changes in the Order. I figure that if enough of the younger Jedi learn to think beyond the Code, there can be a discussion on how to improve the Order." Revan said, while she hit the open key on the door panel.

-=0=-

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review/follow/favorite. **


	4. Chapter 3: The Darkness Rising

Revan entered the Enclave, and saw a bruised Alek walking towards the exit. She asked, "What happened to you, Baldy?"

"One of Matele's droids spotted me and opened fire. By the time I destroyed it, I'd taken a few hits."

"That's from a few hits? Shouldn't you be full of holes?"

"It was using a stun blaster."

"You lucked out. Is the droid here?"

"Yeah, Matele's war droid wanted me to take it back to his estate, but I didn't. That's why it shot at me."

"Well, sorry for getting you shot, Alek."

"It wasn't a problem." he said, while Revan watched Bastila quietly walk away.

She turned to him, and said, "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said it wasn't a problem."

"Right. Well, I should get going to my quarters. It's pretty late." She was about to walk there, when she remembered Vandar's punishment for her. So, she walked out again, but instead of going to the small village of cabins went to the ancient grove. While walking there, she thought, _'It's a gorgeous planet. Meetra probably wouldn't be surprised that I've already gotten in trouble. I wonder what Kreia would say if she knew that I'd already got punished for insubordination. Probably tell me to learn when to keep my mouth shut.'_ she shivered, and thought, _'This place gets cold fast once the sun goes down. Suppose this is why people usually try to avoid having to stay out here once it gets late.'_

When she finally reached the grove, and assumed her meditative trance, the air was frigid, and while the trance helped her ignore it, her body still shook from the cold. Once it was finished, and she was about to leave, she mumbled, _"Aedificatores in capiendis consiliis. Mox agere possumus, aut quasi nos surrexerunt alii fecerunt. Debemus festinare et explicandam plaga."_ then in a different tone of voice said, _"Sed non opus est, domine. Nos non sumus temptatae eam. Si non sciemus in virtute concidit currunt nexu elit."_

Then, she firmly whispered, _"Oportet nos tendo. Exspecta, ego aliquid audire venientes. Consequitur dissipandum. Currere!"_

She said, "What is going on? Why is it that this place seems to keep controlling my tongue? I should get going back. Maybe Master Vandar will know something."

-=0=-

The next morning, Revan quickly sprinted to the Enclave. Inside, she saw Alek and Bastila were waiting for her. She asked, "Why are you both waiting here?"

"We figured you'd want our help to find something." Alek said.

"I might want to go out looking out on the plains later, but I've got something I need to take care of first." she replied, walking past them. Once she had reached the circular council chambers, she asked, "Master Vandar, do you know of any reason that someone would start spouting gibberish in the ancient grove?"

The ancient sage said, "This is not unheard of. Many important events have taken place in that grove. Some may be so great that they have the ability to control those strong Force. With your incredible command of the Force, it is entirely possible that you were put into a state where your body was not yours to control, but rather for those who were there for those actions. I would not worry about it, Knight."

"Thank you for the information, Master Vandar."

"It was not an issue. Do you remember what it was you said?"

"I am afraid I do not, Master."

"Very well." he said.

When she was about to walk away, Master Dorak said, "Revan, could we have a word in private?"

"Of course, Master."

Once they were in private, he asked, "How are you acclimatizing?"

"Fairly well. Is there something I have done wrong?"

"No, I was just curious. You've just been spending a lot of time out on the plains."

"There is much knowledge to be gained on the plains, Master. And I was looking for the crystal cave."

"I heard about that. You'll be lucky if Master Quatra does not find out you took her Padawan in there against her wishes. You should know that Vrook was furious when he saw what had happened to Alek when he brought that droid here."

"I thought that he would be one who did not feel anger." Revan said.

"He is a man who is protective of Padawans, and does not want them to be put into any danger. But, Revan, why did you tell him to resist the Matale war droids if they asked for the protocol droid?"

"The protocol droid was damaged by Ahlan Matale's orders, and put on Sandral property. I figured that if the droid were returned damaged, he would use it as an excuse to escalate the feud into a small-scale war with the Sandral family. I didn't want to risk that so I had Padawan Alek make sure that it arrived here. I figured that if it were to be repaired before Ahlan got his hands on it, we'd prevent a long and bloody conflict between the two houses."

"A wise decision." Dorak said, "But, I have kept you long enough, Revan."

"Actually, Master, there's one other thing I'd like to ask you about."

"What is it, Revan?"

"Do you have any knowledge of a former Jedi by the name of Jolee Bindo?"

"Jolee Bindo? No, why?"

"A long time ago, before I joined the Order, I met a former Jedi named Jolee Bindo. I'm curious about him. And no one on Coruscant was willing to talk about him."

"I do not know off the top of my head, Revan, but I will look into it."

"Thank you, Master." Revan said, bowing before heading over to the work bench and starting to work on her lightsaber. After an hour, she finished putting it back together, and ignited it. Or at least she tried to. Instead of a clean circular blade of energy extending from the weapon, it didn't light up at all, and then the front half exploded, sending Revan flying backwards into one of the padded walls.

A few minutes later, thirty Jedi had run into the room to find out the source of the explosion. What they saw shocked them. Leaning on a wall was Revan, laughing like a maniac. Vrook asked, a look of cold rage upon his face, "What were you doing, Knight?"

"I was just changing the color crystal of my blade, Master. Apparently I messed up the alignment when putting the hilt back together. At least the crystal's still in good shape." she said.

"Well, you should build a new hilt for it. And try not to blow your weapon up this time."

"It will not happen again, Master." Revan said, bowing before going back over to the workbench and pulling out the various necessary supplies to build a new lightsaber from the multitude of drawers in the bench.

After three hours, she grabbed the pair of hilts she had made, and ignited both lightsabers. A standard-length violet blade came out of the one in her right hand, and a shorter-than-normal sapphire blade extended from her second hilt. She grinned, and left the training area, putting the weapons on her belt.

Once she was in the main lobby, Alek asked, "Did you cause the explosion?"

"Yeah. Messed up the alignment of the new crystal for my lightsaber when reconstructing it. You should have seen the look on Vrook's face. It looked like he was about to literally explode because of it."

Neither responded, then Revan said, "Anyways, I've got to go and do some meditating in the grove. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"I think I'll tag along." Alek said.

"Alright, but if you try anything, I'll have carved you like a turkey before you can say hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian."  
"Is that even a word?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah. It pretty much means of, or pertaining to, extremely long words." Revan said.

"Where did you find out about it?"

"That's a secret. If I told you I'd have to kill you." Revan said.

"Really?"

"No, but the truth is boring."

"Right. What is the truth?"

"I was bored one day on Coruscant and the only thing I had to read was a dictionary." Revan said, running to the glade. Once they were there, she sat on the ground crosslegged. A few minutes later, the two Jedi were hovering above the ground.

After a while, Alek asked, "Why don't you stick as strictly to the Code as the other Jedi Knights?"

"What makes you think that I don't stick to it like they do?"

"No one who follows it as much as they do would threaten to kill someone like you did yesterday."

_'He might be someone who could learn to think for himself on morality.. But, he could also be too whipped by the Council to be anything more than a puppet of their way.'_ Then, she said, "I follow the Jedi Code as closely as any other Jedi Knight. I just follow a better version of it. Before fear took control of the Council, the Order followed a code that was drastically different. Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force." Revan said.

"I don't recall that in any of my classes."

"It's old. I do not know of any Master who teaches it anymore." Revan said, extending her legs so her feet touched the ground. She walked away, leaving Alek to his thoughts. She jogged back to her cabin in silence, thinking _'I wonder what will happen now. Will Alek and Bastila inform the Council, or will they keep quiet. It's a shame that the Council has forgotten how to think beyond one man's interpretation of the Jedi Code. Maybe I'll be able to get the next Council to let the Order think for itself.'_ Inside, she was greeted by Urz pouncing on her and licking her face. She pushed him off and started laughing. "Happy to see me boy?" she asked.

The kath hound just wagged its tail in response, _'I must have accidentally tamed it more than I thought.' _before opening the fridge and grabbing a chunk of meat. She tossed it to the animal, who dragged it into a corner and started eating it.

Then, she heard someone knock on the door. She opened it, and was greeted by a nervous looking Bastila. "Come on in." Revan said, "But I thought you said you didn't know where Knights stayed."

"Thanks." the Padawan said, before quickly stepping over the threshhold, she continued, "I always thought this was just an old attempted colony until last night when you left the Enclave to get some sleep."

"I suppose that makes sense. Is there something wrong? You look distressed."

"I-I just saw something terrible. And, I don't know of anyone else who wouldn't just say that I'm losing my mind."

"What? And how did you know to find this place?"

" I saw, well I'm not sure what it was, but it was something of incredible dark power."

"Where? What was it doing?"

"It was just floating around on the plains near one of the burial mounds, then suddenly a dozen strange creatures formed around it, and spread out among the plains. I didn't know what was going on, so I followed the smallest one. After a while, it found a Jedi. And it killed him with ease."

"Can you describe the creatures?"

"They're big. Almost twice as tall as an ordinary person. They've got spikes growing along their backs, dozens of razor-sharp teeth in their mouths, and two tusks that come out of the side of their head. They also move on two legs, and have arms with sharp claws on the end."

Revan was quiet for a while, then whispered, terentatek."

"What?"

"Terentatek. They first appeared during the Great Hyperspace War with the disappeared shortly afterwards, and only reappeared during the war with Exar Kun. Still, I thought that they were eliminated during the Great Hunt."

"I saw them... created by that thing." Bastila said.

Revan placed a hand on Bastila's shoulder, and said, "It'll be fine. Terentatek are powerful, but they're also cowardly creatures. If they face something that is stronger than them, they will quickly flee. You have to show me where it killed a Jedi."

"Wouldn't it be safer to stay here?"

"Yes, but I need to see with my own eyes where this murder happened. That way I can better know what we're facing here on Dantooine."

Bastila still just stood there, looking terrified. Revan gently smiled at the Padawan, and said, "Don't worry, Bastila. I swear they won't hurt you."

"How can you be sure that they won't?"

"I'll not let them get close to you. You do trust me to keep you safe, don't you?"

Bastila was quiet for a while, then said, "Yes."

Revan smiled and said, "Thanks. But, we need to get going fast. We need as much information as possible before bringing this up with the Council."  
Bastila nodded, and opened the door. The two women sprinted through the plains, and a few minutes later, Bastila stopped and said, "It-it happened right here."

Revan looked at the grass, and saw that much of the blood had been absorbed by the soil. After a few moments, she said, "We need to move quickly. It's on its way back. Take me to the place you saw the thing with great dark power."

Bastila tensely nodded, and ran off in one direction. Revan quickly followed, and a little while later, Bastila had slowed. She whispered, "It's just around the corner."

"You're right. Whatever it is, is incredibly powerful." Revan said, as she carefully peared around the corner. Floating in the center of a group of stones was a cloud of dark black energy. Before it were two terentatek, carrying dead bodies. They offered it up to the cloud. And, the bodies were absorbed into it, and it seemed to gain a vague shape.

Now, instead of a single cloud, the thing was shaped vaguely like a six-foot tall biped. Below the neck it looked like an ordinary human shape, but above was a tall head with a pair of stalks coming out of the sides a few inches above where it connected with the neck. The terentatek left, and Revan said, "Follow me." before sprinting towards the Enclave. When they reached it, Alek was banging on the door. He turned to Revan and said, "You've got to convince them to open the door!"

"Why aren't they?"

"Something about creatures being spotted nearby, and that it is too dangerous to open the gates."

Revan nodded, and hit the communicator on the door. A small picture of Vrook appeared on the screen, and the Master said, "Knight Revan, how fare you?"  
"I'm fine for now, Master. But you have to open the door so we can get in."

"I wish we could open them Revan, but it is too dangerous. We cannot allow the terentatek to enter the Enclave."

"If you don't let us in, there's a chance that they'll kill us and offer us to a spirit of the Dark Side!" Revan said.

"What makes you say that is what they are doing. Terentatek are hunters, and Jedi are their prey." Vandar replied.

"I saw them do it! The bodies of two Jedi were offered up to a cloud of Dark Side energy. When it absorbed their corpses, the thing became more defined. It took the shape of some alien that is in no galactic records. It had a head the size of a Cerean, but some sort of stalks coming out of the sides a few inches above where the head and neck meet."

Vandar said, "This is interesting. Do you have any idea of this Dark Spirit's power levels?"

"It's easily as strong as the entire Council here on Dantooine. We need to get in here now!"

"I cannot let you in. The risk is too great. Revan, I know that this is a dangerous task I ask of you, but will you go about killing the terentatek?"  
"That's madness! The only backup I have is a pair of Padawans! They're not bad, but I can't keep both of them safe from terentatek. Just let them in, and I'll handle it on my own, Master Vandar."

"Your confidence in your abilities are re-assuring, Revan, but it is best that you have some support." Vandar said.

"I'm not going to put their lives in danger." Revan growled, "They're not good enough to be fighting terentatek yet."

Vrook stepped into the field of view for the screen, and said, "You will have to trust them enough to fight the terentatek if you are going to survive while they are prowling Dantooine."

Revan shook her head, and said, "Masters, I will _not_ put them against those things. I need more powerful Jedi to help me to handle this."

"We cannot give you any aid other than those who are alread y with you, Revan." Dorak said from outside the screen.

Revan just shook her head and walked away from the Enclave. Alek and Bastila followed, and they were soon in Revan's cabin. She walked over to the back of the room, and a few moments later the windows were covered with durasteel plates. She walked to the exit, and said, "You two should stay here. It'll be fairly safe."

"The Council said that we were supposed to help you kill those things." Alek said.

"You two aren't ready to fight them." Revan said.

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

"Give me a good reason why I should just be hiding in here like a coward?"

"There's a difference between cowardice, and doing what you have to in order to survive." Revan said.

"Won't you die if you go after them alone?"

"I'll be fine. I know how to hunt them."

Bastila said, "They managed to take down other Jedi with ease. What makes you think that you're any better than they were?"

"I don't think I'm better than they were. I just know what I'm up against."

"Those things are huge! How do you hope to kill them alone?"

"I'll find a way." she replied, walking out the door. Once it closed, she stabbed the control panel with her blue lightsaber, and walked away.

-=0=-

Bastila said, "Well, I suppose we're stuck in here." while she petted Urz.

Alek replied, "Yeah. I hope that those things don't find us here."

"They probably won't be able to get in even if they do find us."

Alek nodded, and sat quietly in the far corner of the room.

Bastila thought, _'Why's Revan so adamant against having us help her with those things. Maybe she thinks we're useless because we're just Padawans.'_

Alek then asked, "Do you have any idea why Revan is hunting those things alone, when the Council said she was supposed to have us help her?"  
"I have no idea. Why would you even ask me?"

"Since you're supposed to be her guide, you've had to spend almost all of the time around her for a couple of days. I figured you might have heard her say something that would explain it."

"No, she never mentioned anything that would explain her behavior."

Alek nodded, and walked over to Urz. The kath hound stood on its feet and growled at him. "Looks like he doesn't like you." Bastila said, checking the fridge. "We've got enough supplies for about two days in here. If Revan doesn't come back by then, we'll have to cut our way out of here."

"She's probably going to get killed." Alek said, "Those things are huge."

"Well aren't you optimistic." Bastila dryly replied.

-=0=-

Revan stared at the track for a while. _'This thing is big, even for a terentatek. I'll have to take it out first, that way there's only smaller ones.'_ She followed the marks for a while, but they soon disappeared amongs a dozen other sets of tracks. Revan shook her head and sighed. _'Well, there goes any chance of finding the damn thing quickly.'_

She closed her eyes, and sat down on the ground. She felt the flow of the Force all around her. She felt it call to her, beg her to seize it. Then, she felt the ground begin to tremble around her.

She opened her eyes, and saw a pack of horn kath hounds charging her way. As they charged at her, Revan calmly stood her ground. The numerous animals continued their charge, and the human stood still as a statue.

The creatures drew ever closer, and Revan did not move. The thud of their feet grew louder and louder while they approached. She silently watched them approach, her heart rate and breathing slowing as she let the Force engulf her.

Then, just as the beasts were about to trample her, she leapt twenty feet into the air, and used the Force to raise a nearby rock and place it under her feet. While the kath hounds ran beneath her, Revan stared into the horizon, and saw that an enormous storm was approaching. Once the kath hounds were gone, Revan was once again alone on the plains. She hopped off of the rock, and let it fall behind her. Before walking in the direction the kath hounds had been running from.

-=0=-

**A/N: Thanks for reading the latest chapter! Please leave a review with your thoughts, they inspire me to write, and will help insure frequent updates. Also, favorite/follow if you like the story. : - )**


	5. Chapter 4: The Great Hunt Begins

Revan walked into the entryway of the Sandral estate, where she was greeted by Nurik Sandral asking her, "What brings you here when there is a storm coming? Shouldn't you be at your Enclave to the south?"

"I would be, but the Enclave is in a security lock-down."

"Why?"

"Recently several incredibly powerful creatures of the dark side showed up, and killed several Jedi Knights. So, the Council locked it down to protect the Padawans and Knights who managed to get there in time."

"I see. What are these creatures?"

"They first appeared during the Great Hyperspace War with the Sith. They are known as terentatek, and have been hunting Jedi for over a thousand years."

"Is there any way my people and droids can help eliminate these creatures?"

"I can handle them once the storm has passed."

"If they're capable of killing Jedi Knights, surely you'll need help." Nurik said.

"I have quite a bit of knowledge on how to fight terentatek. I'll be fine, Nurik. But, the offer is appreciated."

Nurik nodded, and said, "T3-M7, take our guest to our finest room."

The protocol droid said, "Of course, Master Sandral." then turned to Revan and said, "This way, Jedi Knight." before walking deeper into the structure.

-=0=-

Meetra walked out of the temple on Coruscant, and was greeted by a balding man, who asked, "Do you know how to get to the Senate Chambers?"

"There's a cab station around the corner. One of them can take you there." she said.

"I do not trust cab drivers. I would prefer to drive there myself."

"Well, I don't really know my way around the city. I usually just get a cab." she said.

"Well, that's unfortunate. I suppose you will not do. A shame, really. You're a very attractive young woman." the man said, before pulling out a small handle and pressing a button on it. It folded out into a vibroblade, and he stabbed at Meetra. She jumped back from him, and ignited her lightsaber.  
"So, you're a Jedi. This will be fun." The man said, charging at her.

She blocked his strike and parried with a blow at his legs. He jumped over her blade, then swept her legs out from under her. He flipped his blade over in his hand and was about to bring it down on Meetra when she channeled the Force and sent him flying away from her.

He slammed into a nearby speeder, which he pushed off of, but felt searing pain and heat as his right hand was cut cleanly off by Meetra's sapphire blade.

"Who are you working for?" she demanded.

"I will not dishonor myself by betraying my master." He said as he pulled out a thermal detonator, "But I will take you with me into the Void, Jedi." he said, as he pressed the button on it.

Meetra swore, and turned running from the man. A second later, she felt her feet lifted from the ground as the blast sent her flying, barely managing to raise enough of a Force barrier to protect herself from the shrapnel. A moment later a dozen people were around her, and asking, "What happened here? What's going on!"

"Someone used a thermal detonator." Meetra replied, limping away, her wounds making it hard to move.

In the temple, she collapsed, and heard a Master say, "What happened to you, Knight!"

-=0=-

Alek shook his head, and started pacing around the room. A few minutes later, Bastila said, "You should quit pacing so much. If you keep it up, you'll ruin the carpet."

"We should be out there, hunting the terentatek." He said.

"Those things took out Knights easily. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"What about the Council's orders? We're supposed to be helping Revan kill those things so that Dantooine's safe again."

"You had to have sensed how Revan was feeling when the Council said that."

"She was furious. So what! We're Jedi. We follow the orders of the Council, not a single Knight."

"A single Knight who is doing what she can to keep us alive." Bastila replied, "While the Council wants us to be hunting things that are well beyond our level. Revan understood this, and you should too. We aren't _capable_ of handling those creatures."

"You say that, but the Council was confident in our abilities. We're two of the strongest Jedi on Dantooine."

"We're strong, but we don't have the necessary skill at controlling our strength to take care of the threat."

"You say that, but you just have no confidence in your abilities! You don't see it, but Quatra's broken you."

"Master Quatra has done no such thing, Alek." Bastila said, "And, you should show her more respect!"

"Everyone knows that she's just one step from falling to the dark side." Alek continued, "And that she abuses her students psychologically. Revan's only been here a couple of days, and she sees it. You're the _only one_ on Dantooine, probably in the entire Order, that doesn't see her for what she is."

Bastila was about to respond, when Urz started whimpering and something slammed against the durasteel shutters on the door. Bastila turned and drew her yellow blade, while Alek ignited his blue one.

The thing slammed into the door again and again, putting massive dents into it. Then, they felt an overwhelming darkness flow into the room as the door was pushed far enough that it wasn't properly sealing off the building. They froze as the darkness assaulted them with their failures. Then, the door was hit with enough force to send it flying into the room, and a terentatek walked followed it in.

The darkness and corruption of it became even stronger as it approached Bastila, and the Padawan didn't move. Visibly shaking, she stood there, glued to the spot. The darkness seemed to say, _"How could you hope to become a Jedi Knight, when you cannot even master your hatred of your mother, Bastila? What makes you think that you are even good enough to be a Padawan? That your title was not just given to you out of pity? You can barely wield a lightsaber, and are even worse at controlling the Force. The way of the Jedi will never work for you. Your anger makes you week in the light. The __**only**__ hope you have to be strong is to embrace the dark. To embrace __**my**__ darkness. Let me make you strong. With me, you can destroy all who have dragged you down. All who have held you back. Who have denied what you deserve!"_

Then, as the terentatek raised its claw, a blue lightsaber flew towards it. The creature hopped back to evade the attack, and that gave Bastila a moment to clear her head and realize what was going on. She turned and ran to the far side of the room. There, she started typing commands into the panel Revan had used to lower the durasteel shutters.

Meanwhile, Alek was staring straight at the terentatek as it walked towards him. It raised one clawed hand and as it swung at him, he leaped to the side, and struck at its left leg. The blade grazed against the scaly hide, and singed the flesh. It showed no sign of pain, and kicked him into the wall.

Bastila typed in a series of other commands, and when they failed to raise the shutters, she pulled out a security spike and a couple of seconds later had them up. She said, "Alek, we have to get out of here!"

"I can beat it!" he said.

"No you can't! You barely even scratched it with your lightsaber!"

"I just need to find its weak spot." he said, dodging a strike from the beast. "You can run if you want, but I'm going to stand and fight."

"If you fight, you'll die." Bastila growled, "And I'm pretty sure that if you die, I'll get into trouble for it."

"You're always worried about covering your own back. Why don't you help me kill this thing instead?" Alek growleed.

"It's too strong for us."

"You say that." Alek said, panting as he tried to block one of the terentatek's strikes, "But this thing is still just a dumb animal. We can win if we work together."

"I doubt it." Bastila said, watching him fly through a window from the beast's strike. Urz, seeing a way out, followed Alek through. At the same time, Bastila hit a command on the security spike and dove through the window, using the Force to create a shield to protect her from the shutter slamming down.

Alek said, gasping for breath, "Maybe you're right. We may need to find Revan if we're going to take that thing out."

"Glad to see that you aren't as stupid as I thought."

He ignored her, and said, "There's a storm coming this way."

"Revan probably went to find shelter." Bastila said.

Alek nodded, then said, "We need to get moving. That thing's coming at us again!"

Bastila nodded, and started running. Even as they ran over the plains, the charging terentatek came ever closer. When she looked back, Bastila saw it getting closer, and fear crept into her mind. _'Shit, it's getting closer!'_

Alek said, "Where do we go? It's catching up!"

"With the storm coming, we'll need to go somewhere with a roof to keep dry." Bastila said, "Since the Enclave and Knight areas aren't available, the only place that's safe is the Sandral estate."

"Got it." Alek said, using the Force to speed himself up. Bastila followed suit, but they weren't managing to get away, the creature sped up to match their speed.

"We aren't going to make it. It's too fast." Bastila said.

"Aren't terentatek supposed to be slow?"

"Apparently this one isn't."

"We're almost at the Matale estate." Alek said, "Maybe the droids there will be able to help slow it down."

"I doubt it. You saw how little your lightsaber did against it." Bastila said, panicking as the terentatek drew closer.

Then, Alek said, "I'll try to hold it off once we get to the estate. You go ahead to find Revan. She'll know what to do."

Bastila said, "No way am I just going to leave you to fight it alone. I saw what it did to a Knight, and you aren't at that level."

"Just trust me, Shan!" Alek growled.

"Give me a good reason I should." she replied, "I can't afford to have your death on my record!"

"I. Will. Not. Die. Just get Revan so she can finish it off!"

"Fine." Bastila said, as Alek turned to face it.

Once she was gone, Alek said, "Bring it on, you motherfucker. I don't have any reason to hold back now." before charging at it, electricity crackling at his fingertips.

-=0=-

Quatra sat in the Council chambers quietly, and when Vandar, Vrook, and Dorak entered, she asked, "Why did you leave Padawans out where those animals could slay them?"

"They are with Knight Revan. They will be fine." Vandar said.

"What is so special about Revan that she will make the Padawans safe?"

"You don't know, Quatra?" Dorak asked.

"Of course not. She is just an arrogant Knight."

"Knight Revan is more than she appears." Vandar said.

"Why?"

Vrook said, "Her lineage."

"What do you mean, Master Vrook?"

"Revan's parents were..."

-=0=-

Meetra groaned, and asked, "What's going on?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that." Nomi said.

"Grand Master, what are you doing here?"

"A thermal detonator is set off on Coruscant and you were caught in the blast. I want to know what happened."

"I was just walking a bit, thinking. Then, this oldish-looking man asks me for directions to the Senate. I tell him to just take a cab, but he, strangely, says he won't. Then, when I tell him I can't help him, he pulls out some kind of weird, folding vibroblade. He attacks me, and after a short fight, I have him pinned. I ask him who hired him, and he just pulled out the detonator, saying that he would not dishonor himself by selling out his master."

"He must have been a mandalorian. But, was his master another of his people, or was he merely one who had been turned away for not being enough of a warrior?" Nomi asked.

"I don't know, Master. Is there anything else that you need?"

"That is all for now, Knight. Be sure to get plenty of rest while you are recovering."

"I will, Master."

-=0=-

Revan sat quietly on the bed. Whatever was going on, the darkness was growing stronger. The sound of the rain peppering against the roof creating a soothing melody to her ears.

Then, a droid hit the communications line outside the room, and said, "Knight Revan, Master Sandral has requested that I inquire if you would like to join him and his children for dinner."

She opened the door, and said, "Sure, I'll join 'em. Which way?"

"This way, Revan." it said, walking down one of the halls. After it took a left and a right, they were in an elevator going down. Once the elevator doors opened, they were in a large hall with several crystal chandeliers filled with electric candles.

They walked through the hall, and the door on the far end opened to a simple dining room where Nurik, Rahasia, and a young boy were sitting at an oak table. The man said, "Ah, Revan. I apologize if my protocol droid woke you."

"It didn't."

"Excellent. I thought you might be hungry." he said, "But first, introductions are in order. You've already met my daughter Rahasia, and this is my son Casus."

Revan nodded, thinking, _'What is that?'_ as she felt something out in the distance. She shook it from her mind, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Casus."

The young boy nervously said, "It's nice to meet you too, Master Jedi."

Revan shook her head, smiling slightly, and sat down at the empty chair. A few minutes later, a waiter-droid brought her a tray of steak and potatoes. The group ate in silence, but then, Revan placed her fork down on the plate. In the back of her head she felt an overwhelming sense of fear drawing closer.

"Is something wrong?" Nurik inquired.

"I need to get back to the surface. Something is coming this way." Revan said, rising from her seat.

"One of those creatures you mentioned earlier?"

"Actually, a Padawan who doesn't seem to know how to follow orders." Revan said, smiling, before walking out towards the elevator. The sensation of fear growing ever stronger. When she got in the painfully slow elevator, the fear had become akin to a physical itch that was just beyond her reach.

_'So, she grows a spine at the absolute worst possible moment. This is just great.'_ Revan thought, waiting for the elevator to finally finish getting up to the surface. Once she was there, she sprinted to the door, and opened it. And was immediately hit by the roaring winds and bitterly cold rain, almost instantly soaking her to her core.

She stepped out into the storm, and turned towards the intense fear. She calmly walked towards it, the fear growing stronger with every passing moment. Then, Bastila crashed into her with a surprised yelp.

Revan gently pushed her off, and said, "Stand back, I've got it."

Bastila nodded, blushing, and said, "Okay."

"You might want to get inside the Sandral Estate. Where's Baldy?" she asked, while ducking beneath one of the nearby terentatek's strikes.

"I'm right here." He said, jumping at the terentatek. It slapped him to the side, and turned its attention back to Revan. A hollow scream escaped its mouth, and the two Padawans covered their ears in pain. Revan, on the other hand, merely stood there, her face showing no sign of even having heard the terentatek's cry. Before it could move, she had ignited both of her lightsabers and slammed into it with all of her might. The beast stumbled back a step, and tried to grab her with both of its hands.

Revan rolled away, the beast only managing to grasp a few strands of her hair as she dodged it. The terentatek then kicked at her, but missed, and ended up falling on its back. Revan grinned, and jumped into the air, her twin blades rapidly approaching its exposed torso.

Then, it landed a single blow on her chest, sending her flying towards a nearby wall. When she collided, she fell forwards off of it, coughing up blood and gasping for breath. _'This one is smart. Too smart to be natural. That spirit must be influencing it somehow. But how? The archives have no evidence of such a thing being possible.'_ she thought, as she got back on her feet, stumbling forward.

The terentatek saw that she still lived, and charged at her. Before it could reach her, however, the water upon the terentatek froze into a solid shell- trapping it- and Revan stood there, her eyes gleaming with triumph. She said, "I didn't think that would work."

"What did you do?" Bastila asked.

"I manipulated the Force so that it dropped the temperature of the water on the terentatek to just below the freezing point."

"How?" Alek asked.

"I'm not sure of the details." Revan admitted, walking up to creature but before she could stab it, a gust of wind pushed her away from it. While she stumbled back, tiny shards of ice from the shell around the terentatek broke off and flew into her, cutting her cheeks and arms.

At the same time, the terentatek managed to escape its prison, and charged right at Revan. She let out a soft growl, and just as it was about to collide with her, dove out of the way and threw both of her lightsabers at it. The shorter sapphire blade pierced the terentatek's back, causing it to stumble, just before the violet blade severed its head from the rest of its body.

"That was impressive." Alek said.

"Thanks, Baldy, but you two need to get into the Sandral estate. You'll be safer there, and with the weather how it is, who knows what diseases you could catch outside."

"Shouldn't you be coming too?" Bastila asked.

"I can't. With how that last one was, I'll have to find and kill them all asap just in case. I don't want them to get any stronger than they already are."

"If you stay out the weather could beat you too, Revan. You're not invulnerable."

"I know I'm not. But, I'm the only one who can kill the terentatek alone with them at their current level. And, they're getting stronger as time passes. So, I can't wait for the storm to pass."

"If you're going out after them, we're going too. We tried hiding once, and one of them still got to us." Bastila said, Alek nodding behind her.

Revan shook her head and said, "Fine, but be careful. If anything happens to you, it's on my head."

"We'll stay out of the way. We'd have stayed at your place but that terentatek found us and broke the door down."

"Well, that will be hard to explain to the Masters." Revan said, walking away.

"Where are we going?"

"The crystal cavern. There we should be able to get a few crystals to amplify our Force abilities. And, we can use it to draw the terentatek to us and finish them off in one quick move if we're lucky."

"Won't they be able to tell it's a trap?" Alek asked.

"Probably, but it's worth a try. I'd rather not risk running into a large group of them when they have a clear advantage. And in this weather, we'll be lucky to last the night without freezing to death."

"But, what if there are more kinrath in there?" Bastila asked.

"They'll have needed more time to repopulate." Revan said, then she asked, "Where's Urz?"

"He's probably back at your place hiding from the storm." Bastila said.

Revan nodded, and then said, "I just got an idea." before stopping dead in her tracks and closing her eyes. A few minutes later, the rain quit hitting them, and Bastila asked, "What did you do?"

"I created a barrier around us so that the water can't get through. I've always wondered why the Jedi do so little with the Force. It's the main thing that sets them apart from regular people, but they have no imagination in how to use it. Just push, pull, jump, speed up, mind control, EMPs, stun fields, healing, a defensive mesh, occasionally psychic support, and basically chains."

"That's a pretty varied arsenal." Alek said.

"Yes, but there's a lot more that can be done with the Force. Even if you limit yourself just to what can be viewed as light side or neutral powers. There are countless ways to affect the world around us with the Force, but we're told to never experiment with the Force. That it's dangerous. Yet, the Council ignores the fact that every Force power that we take for granted today was created through experimentation. So, most people are stuck with what is an incredibly limited arsenal compared to what they could have. For example, just lowering the temperature near your opponent suddenly could give you a huge advantage, but is neutral. Or raising it. Sorry." Revan said, "I tend to go off on rants like this when I get nervous."

"You're nervous?" Bastila asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"There are terentatek that defy the normal rules for their kind. So of course I'm nervous. Hell, I'm scared out of my mind. Heh, I wonder what they'd say if they heard me say that."

"What who would say?"

"It isn't important." Revan quickly replied.

"Who are you talking about?" Alek asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Who are they?" Alek demanded.

"It isn't any of your business, Baldy." Revan growled, looking him right in the eye. Though he physically towered over the woman, he quickly backed off, as every second that passed she seemed to get larger and larger. "Good. Now we need to prepare for the terentatek."

"What do you need us to do?" Bastila asked.

Revan shuffled around in her pack for a few moments, then tossed Alek some mines. "Put these near the entrance. They should be weak enough to not mess up the cave, but powerful enough to injure or kill a terentatek or two. To be safe, keep them at least a foot from the walls."  
Alek nodded, and got to work.

Revan then turned to Bastila, while they entered the heart of the cave, and asked, "Bastila, do you know how to create Force bombs?"

"What are you talking about?"

"A Force bomb. It's a technique that was created by the Jedi Master Kel'Thuun about a thousand years after the split in the Order that had those who followed the dark side exiled. Basically, it's a small, but dense, container of Force energy that detonates when thrown. It's really simple. Just do this." Revan said, and a small ball appeared just above her hand, the strands of Force energy far enough apart for Bastila to easily read how they were wound together. "Then you just compress the energy so that it's pretty dense, and you've got a potent explosion for any poor bastard who gives you trouble. Now try it yourself."

Bastila nodded, and sat down in a corner of the cave where there weren't any crystals. Revan, on the other hand, shouted down the tunnel, "Baldy, you finished planting the mines?"

"Just about done." He replied.

"Good, get in here when you're done."

A moment later he walked in, and asked, "What do you need?"

"Just you to be in here so I can set up the next trap." she said, spinning the Force into a razor-sharp web over the entrance. "No terentatek will get through that unfazed."

"What is it?"

"Force energy that's been... made dense enough to have a more physical effect on the area around it. Then, I sharpened it so that any terentatek that tries to get in will have to go through a sharp web to get to us. If we're lucky, it won't survive. If we're not, I'll have to take it apart."

"Why didn't you do this before?" Alek asked.

"Because, I thought they were normal. I thought that I wouldn't need to go to these measures."

He nodded, then asked, "What's Bastila doing in the corner?"

"Just having her do some prep work." Revan replied.

"What exactly?"

"It doesn't have an effect on what you need to do."

"Alright." he said, "What do you want me to do to prepare for them getting here?"

"Get some crystals. We'll need them for a boost to draw their attention."

He nodded and went around the room. Meanwhile, Revan sat in the center of the room, breathing in and out. When Alek returned to her, he said, "Here's some crystals. It enough?"

"It'll be fine." she said, "Bastila, you have that technique down?"

"Yeah." She said, walking to the center.

"Good. Everyone, just sit down and draw on the Force as heavily as you can. Seizing or embracing is fine. Just get as much of it in you as you can."

They nodded, and when they heard a blast from the entrance, Revan said, "That's good. We've got their attention. Prepare to engage the enemy."

They nodded, and ignited their lightsabers. The four blades of glowing energy emerged simultaneously, and then, they heard something stomping their way. Time seemed to crawl as the sound grew louder and louder. The air began to shimmer and the room began to heat up, the crystals began to glow even brighter. Then, the web on the front went flew inward, shattered into a thousand pieces, and in walked two terentatek surrounded in shrouds of darkest black. They turned to the three Jedi, and charged.

-=0=-

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! I've just been really busy in real life lately, so I haven't had much time to write this. I'll try to be more prompt on the next one. Anyways, please follow, favorite, and review. Reviewers will get cake in some form or other.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Infinite Empire

The two terentatek charged, preparing to strike, when they were engulfed in a wall of lightning and fire. They stumbled backwards, crying out in pain as their eyes and dark shrouds were destroyed by the attack. Revan then charged the nearest flailing beast and rammed her blade into the skull of the creature. The blade pressed through the outer flesh, shattering the bones in the skull, and left a hole in the brain of the creature.

It crumbled to the ground, dead. At the same time Alek and Bastila charged the other one, but were sent flying away by the flailing of the beast. Revan threw her blue blade at it. The terentatek dodged the blade, and turned towards her. It charged, but was distracted by Alek stabbing its leg.

It howled in pain, and slapped Alek away, its claw leaving a deep gash along his right arm. Then, Revan and Bastila struck, their blades cleaving the terentatek in two, then bouncing off of each other.

She nodded at Bastila, and turned to Alek, asking, "That thing poison you?"

"I don't know." Alek said.

She handed him an antidote kit, and said, "Just to be safe. Terentatek venom can be very deadly if it isn't taken care of quickly."

He took it and said, "Thanks."

She nodded, and noticed that Bastila was nervously fiddling with one of the crystals that she'd been given before the terentatek showed up. Revan asked, "There something wrong, Bas?"

"You used dark side powers to stop the terentatek charging."

"Dark side powers, light side powers, those are mandatory distinctions put in by old men who don't really understand what they're talking about."

"You-you shouldn't talking about the Council that way! And besides, using those powers is wrong!"

"Why? What makes it wrong to use one power but not another? What right does any one group have to decide what mystical abilities are acceptable to use and what aren't?"

"The Council have a better knowledge of those abilities, so they make the decisions."

"But, what makes an ability itself wrong? The abilities themselves do not have a moral alignment. They just are. When natural lightning strikes do you say that it is dark sided? Of course not. So, why should Force lightning be judged that way? And the same for fire. If you do not judge the natural forms of abilities, why then would you judge their Force counterparts?"

"Because, they can only be used for destruction. You can't do anything good with them."

"Really? Blinding creatures of the dark side with those abilities isn't good? Protecting others with them isn't good?" she asked.

"Of course it's protecting people is good, but using those abilities to is wrong!"

"Why, Bastila?" she asked, "Because the Council says it is? Why do _you_ say that it is wrong? What is your reason, not the Council's. Or, is your reason that the Council says it is wrong?"

"Isn't that a good enough reason?"

"Of course not." she said, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "You shouldn't have your opinions just be whatever you're told."

"Why not? What's wrong in trusting in the wisdom of the Council?"

"Because, just blindly following the opinions of the Masters has led to the Order becoming stagnant."

"Their wisdom has kept the Republic safe for thousands of years! What is wrong about trusting them?"

"They're a bunch of cowards who were willing to let you die just to save their own skins. Why should you trust them?"

"They were protecting those who were already inside the enclave. They couldn't risk opening it and the terentatek getting in."

"They weren't anywhere near the enclave!"

"It was too risky." Bastila protested.

"There was no reason to think that they would be able to get in when the door opened. It would have been ten seconds only, Bastila. That isn't enough time for you to get in the doors and for them to be closed behind you before the terentatek got there."

"The-the Council was just being cautious."

"And that's their problem. They're _too damn cautious!_" Revan growled. "They're too worried about avoidingany risks that they'll never consider the fact that sometimes to do the right thing you have to take a risk. They _forbid_ love because they refuse to take any risks. Hell, there have been Jedi who have had to fake their own deaths because they fell in love. Shaela Nuur and Duron Qel-Droma faked their own deaths, and their best friend Guun Han Saresh did the same to keep their secret safe. Because they knew that if the Council found out they would either be exiled, separated, or executed because of the Council's paranoia. What makes you think that people like that deserve unconditional respect?"

"How do you know that those three had to disappear?" Bastila asked.

Revan shook her head, and said, "I met Guun Han on Deralia before the attack. He talked to my parents about what happened, and I overheard the conversation." then quietly added, _'Not to mention that my parents were old friends of his.'_

"Are you sure Guun Han wasn't lying?"

"I'm absolutely certain he was telling the truth."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons. It isn't what's important. What's important is that the Council shouldn't just be mindlessly followed. You need to think for yourself, or you'll end up as brainwashed and useless as most Jedi. You'll become useless to the galaxy because you follow one path, and don't think beyond that. You'll become what the average Jedi is. A tool that is held in contempt by the entire galaxy. They fake respect when they know you're a Jedi and think you're looking, but the moment they think you don't notice what they're doing, they act contemptuous towards the Order. They only pretend to respect the Order, and with good reason. It is broken."

"Why do you say that? Why do you have contempt for the Jedi?"

"Because, they say that for non-Jedi love is the greatest thing in the galaxy, but say that for Jedi it has to be avoided like being at the center of a WMD's blast radius. I respect what they are represent, but the current way the Order is handled, it can't be what it represents."

"So, you're just trying to convert me to your way of thinking." Bastila said with derision.

"NO! That is the exact opposite of what I'm trying to do, Shan!" Revan roared. "I'm trying to get you to think for yourself! If I wanted to just have you think exactly how I do, you would already be agreeing with me on everything. I don't care if people agree with the Council instead of me, so long as it is _their_ opinion they came to on their own, not what was programmed into you by your teachers. And you don't judge me for my opinion." she added with a small grin.

Bastila was quiet for a moment, then said, "Okay. I suppose it's not like you're trying to conquer the galaxy and kill millions of innocent people. And, sorry, about flipping out at you. So, what are we supposed to do next?"

Revan patted Bastila on the shoulder, and said, "It's alright. We'll need to get out of here and find the remaining terentatek. This didn't work as I had planned."

"Why? We managed to kill two of them." Bastila said.

"The traps didn't exactly hold them off. I think the crystals could be amplifying their power too."

Bastila nodded, and Alek said, "But, what about the rain?"

"That will be a bit of a problem." Revan said, thinking, _'What do we do about it? We'll not be able to do much if we have to keep coming back here to get dry and warm so we don't get pneumonia. Maybe the barrier again, but then when we found terentatek we'd have to expose ourselves to the elements. Maybe, no that would be too risky. Might block out the air. Maybe a bit of a modification would let air through while keeping the rain out.'_

A moment later, Revan was surrounded by glowing blue energy, but it faded away a moment later. Then, Revan said, "Alright, made a little bit of a change to the barrier I used earlier. Here's how to do it." she brought it up again, so that the two could study it. Once they had managed to get it right, about twelve minutes later, Revan said, "Come on, let's get going. There are still more terentatek we have to take care of. Probably eight or nine of them."

"You think we'll be able to find them in this rain?" Alek asked, "They don't exactly have giant glowing signs with arrows pointing down saying, 'Here I am, come kill me'.

"It'll take a while, but we should be able to kill them before it's too late." she replied, walking towards the exit. Near the exit, the barriers were struck by a stream of black fluid. Revan said, "Gross. I think my mines were a bit too powerful."

"Really?" Alek asked, "What made you think that? The fact that it liquidized the terentatek?"

"Quit being a jackass." she growled, sprinting past the bloody mess. Once they were past the blood, and the rain had cleaned the barriers off, Revan said, "I think that next time I'll use a touch less explosives the next time I make a batch of mines. Don't want to do that," she said pointing back at the cave, "to anything- even terentatek."

Bastila said, "Wait, you _made_ those mines."

"Yeah, there aren't exactly many places that sell military grade explosive mines to the public. I might have been able to get some stun mines, but those wouldn't have been enough."

"How many of them do you think we got with the mines?" Alek inquired.

"Two. I saw a couple of hearts, and terentatek only have one heart each."

"Wouldn't those have been liquidized too?"

"The hearts of terentatek are the most heavily protected part of the body, and before you ask, Bastila, I don't know why."

"I wasn't going to ask." she protested.

"Well, you seem to ask about _everything, _it's refreshing to meet someone just as curious as me. Most Jedi won't ask a question if it hasn't been approved by the Council. Hell, even Meetra was that way for a while."

"Who?" the two Padawans asked.

"Friend of mine back on Coruscant." Revan explained.

-=0=-

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Meetra walked out of the medical bay on one of the lower levels of the temple, and after a while found herself in the main hall. A Master was saying, "As of now, the Order will not be mobilizing against the mandalorians."

Meetra asked, "What happened, Master?"

He said, "The news just came in an hour ago. The mandalorians have attacked Republic space. Three systems have already fallen, and the Supreme Chancellor requested Jedi aid."

"Why aren't we going to help the Republic?"

"There is a darkness behind this that we have not been able to determine. The mandalorians would never attack the Republic unless there was something that made them think that they could win. They would not want to risk being destroyed as the Sith were."

Meetra nodded, and thought, _'Hopefully when Revan hears about this she'll not just go off to fight the mandalorians alone. Force knows that she's wanted an excuse to fight them for ages. Maybe the Council on Dantooine will be able to keep her in line.'_

-=0=-

Revan said, "Stop. Something's coming our way."

"What?" Bastila asked.

"Not sure." she replied, igniting her twin lightsabers. The sapphire and violet blades glowed, evaporating the rain as it struck them. The ground began to tremble as something approached.

As the... thing grew closer, the three felt great pressure all around them. The ground began to tremble faster, and then a loud roar filled their ears and a massive terentatek charged them. Revan raised her blades, and growled "Bastila, Alek, hit him from the left and right flank. I'll handle it from the front."

They nodded, and ran off as ordered. Revan watched the creature charge, and when it slammed into her, she gasped out in pain while she felt two of her ribs crack. Flying backwards, she embraced the Force and let out a stream of fire at it. The terentatek ignored it, and struck her legs. Revan groaned, and crumbled to the ground. It raised its arms to finish her off, when a yellow blade and a blue blade severed its left and right arms.  
Revan saw an opening, and charged at the fifteen feet tall beast. Jumping into the air, she slammed her twin lightsabers into its skull, then jumped away from it, leaving her weapons in its brain.

The creature roared, but did not fall, instead, it charged and tried headbutt Revan. She rolled out of the way, wincing in pain as her ribs touched the ground. Wielding the Force, she summoned her blades, and with them in hand, stabbed the creature in its chest.

It did not crumble, but tried to kick her in the gut. She evaded it, and stabbed it in the back, then when it still survived stabbed it again. It collapsed to the ground, roaring in rage.

Revan stumbled over towards the terentatek, raised her blades when she reached its neck, and beheaded it. Her vision began to blur, and it became more difficult to breath. She gasped for breath, and then fell forward.

"Revan!" Bastila yelled, moving towards her.

-=0=-

Kreia was sitting in her quarters, when Meetra entered. She asked, "Did you hear about the mandalorians attacking the Republic."  
"Of course." she replied.

"What do you think about denying the Republic's request for help?"

"It is a safer course of action than granting the Republic aid, but it would be more in line with what the Order is believed to be."

"You don't have an opinion on what would be the better course of action?"

"I do not focus on the political matters of our times." she replied, "It is not my role to determine the course of action for the Order. That is for the Council to decide, and they made their decision. Any opinion of mine would not make a difference on what is going to happen."

"But," Meetra began, but was interrupted by Kreia.

"It does not matter, Meetra. And you would be wise to not tell Revan this."

"She should know."

"She needs to focus on her training for now. When the time is right, she will learn of the mandalorian aggression."

"But, if it's kept secret, she'll be pissed. She might even leave the Order."

"Revan will not leave the Order if it is kept secret, she would understand why she was not told. If she was informed of it, though, she may decide to go to war prematurely."

"What do you mean prematurely?"

"Eventually the Order will have to aid the Republic if both are to survive." Kreia said, "But, if that happens too early, there will be catastrophic results for the entire galaxy."

"Such as?"

"Deaths of those who it would be better if they survived, the destruction of the Republic, and more."

"What is the more?"

"I do not know. But, you should return to your duties now, Meetra."

"Very well, Master Kreia."

-=0=-

Bastila said, "Alek, we've got to get her under some cover. The barrier's starting to fall apart. And, it looks like at least two of her ribs are cracked."

He nodded, and picked Revan up. Once they were out of the rain, Bastila examined Revan's injuries, and said, "These are serious. Are you any good at healing wounds?"

"No, I've never gotten the hang of it." he replied.

"Well, then just hand me a couple of those crystals. Maybe I'll be able to fix her up with just them."

He handed her a blue and a yellow crystal, and she sat down beside Revan, placing a hand over the broken ribs.

-=0=-

A tall man wearing a dark mask which obscured his face asked, "Is the Republic going to retaliate?"

"It is preparing its fleet to fight us, and they have asked the Jedi for assistance." another man said.

"Was the assistance granted?"

"We have heard no news either way."

"Good. Continue following the plan. Send in Canderous."

"As you command, Mandalore." the other man said.

A few moments later, Canderous walked in, wearing a suit of crimson armor, the only part of his body uncovered was his scarred face. He said, "You wanted to see me, Mandalore?"

"Canderous, you proved yourself an excellent leader during the Battle of Althir. I want you to command our forces during the next battle."

"Why won't you be commanding us in the coming battle?"

"There is something I have to take care of, and I will not be able to return before the battle commences."

"What is it, sir?"

"It does not concern you, Canderous."

"Understood." he replied, looking at the fleet, "When will you be leaving?"

"In a few hours. If I am still gone after the next battle, do not delay to attack the next world. We cannot delay if we are to defeat the Republic, and gain the glory from so great a victory."

"I understand, sir."

"Good, I will inform the soldiers of my decision soon."

-=0=-

Bastila sat down, wiping sweat from her brow. "I've done all I can to heal her." she said.

"She looks like she's feeling a lot better." Alek said, "But, I thought she'd be able to handle that thing. Why do you think it beat her so easily?"

"It was a lot bigger than a normal one, so she probably wasn't prepared to fight it." Bastila said.

"Still, how long can she stay out cold? It's already been an hour." Alek said.

"I don't know. We'll just have to do what we can to make sure she doesn't die in her sleep. Force knows that we're going to need her to keep us alive while those things are running around."

"But, what if she doesn't make it?"

"Then we'll have to fight them without her help."

He nodded, and asked, "Why are you so calm? You saw how big that terentatek was!"

"I saw them created, and it was a lot bigger than the others. I think it was made out of multiple ones of them, which means at least two more are gone. And, if Revan could survive that fight, there's no way that a regular terentatek could take her out."

They heard a slight groan, and looked back at Revan. "You finally waking up?" Alek asked.

Bastila went over to her, and Revan groaned again. She blinked a few times, and when her vision cleared and she saw Bastila looking at her, she said, "Hey, beautiful."

The Padawan blushed, and looked away. Revan laughed, and said, "I'm just joking around." She turned to Alek, and said, "You try getting beaten by a monster that's fifteen feet tall, Baldy. We'll see how good you're feeling."

He just nodded, and said, "You've got a point. What's the plan?"

"We strike the enemy at their heart. I've been thinking, and it would make sense that the spirit was sealed in that burial ground beyond the Enclave. And, if we consider how far away from the Enclave it was, we could assume that it would not be the nearest one. More likely the one on the Matale grounds. While there, we could find some way of sealing it. If my theory is correct, that should reduce the power levels of the terentatek so that they're easier to eliminate."

"You think that will weaken it?" he asked.

"Yes, the only way that those things could be so powerful is if something has amplified their abilities. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, Force amplification of physical abilities quits working once energy is not actively being added to the subject, the amplification will quit working."

"I didn't know that." Alek said.

"Did you not pay attention during your classes?" Revan asked.

"I payed close attention during class, that just wasn't mentioned."

"Well, that's too bad for you." Revan said, "We need to get moving."

The two padawans nodded, and the group walked out. They walked in silence for a few minutes, but then Alek asked Revan, "What's wrong?" while she scowled at the area around them.

"Just thinking about something." she replied.

"What?"

_'Well, how about the fact that I'm randomly flirting with a minor? Or that I let a terentatek get the best of me? Or could it be that I've been on a new planet for only three days, and everything's started to fall apart?'_ she thought, but said, "Just personal stuff."

He nodded, and they walked closer to the tome they sought. Standing at pillars near the entrance, there were three terentatek standing near the pillars.

"We'll have to take care of them simultaneously, otherwise they might warn the spirit and it could lock the tomb, keeping us out."

Alek nodded, and Bastila asked, "What makes you think it would do that? You know how powerful it is."

"Because, Bastila, if my theory is correct, there will be some kind of device to seal it away inside the tomb, and that's how it was taken care of whenever it was originally sealed away."

"If there was some device sealed it away before, and it broke out anyways, would it really manage to seal it again?"

"I think it's more likely someone accidentally released it from its prisons and it had to take a while to recover its power. So, once it was strong enough, it left the tomb it was imprisoned in, and made the terentatek, using them to amplify its power so that it could maintain a form akin to what it was originally. But, I could be completely wrong, This is just speculation. Maybe we'll get a chance to interrogate it, figure out what it is."

"You want to _talk_ to it?" Alek asked, his voice dripping with shock.

"If conversation will shed some light on what it is, and its origin, yes. That way we'll be better equipped to take care of anything similar to it should such a situation arise again."

"You're crazy." he muttered, shaking his head.

"You think I'm crazy? That hurts, Baldy." Revan said, sniffling slightly.

"You want to talk to something that can _create_ monsters, and is theoretically powerful enough to defeat the entire Jedi Council. That makes you crazy!"

"Anything could theoretically be powerful enough to defeat the entire Jedi Council. A single pebble could, in theory, do that. But, just because theory says that something can do something, doesn't mean it can. Raw power doesn't matter if you don't have any control over that power."

"Still, that thing could kick our asses so fast that it isn't funny." Alek said.

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know if we don't try and take it out."

"Still..." Alek began, but was interrupted by Bastila.

"We'll have to take care of it eventually, so we may as well try and handle it now."

"Well said, Padawan Shan." Revan said, "So, why don't we go in and take care of it now, instead of sitting in this rain and wasting time?"  
"Because, we could die if we go in unprepared!"

"Every day we could die." Revan said, staring out into the distance, "But we don't hide in our beds, do we Alek? No, we get up, and we go about our daily lives. For a Jedi, handling an incredibly powerful spirit of the dark side is just another day at the office. I understand that you're afraid of it, I am too, but you cannot let that fear control you. If you do, it will lead you to only one thing, death because you didn't have the guts to do what you had to." she pointed towards the Enclave, and continued, "There's a series of buildings over there with hundreds of Jedi and civilians. They're counting on us to take care of the terentatek and the spirit. There are kids in there, who if we don't handle this situation, will never get to grow up. They'll die young, because we couldn't act. And, if that happens, you'll never be able to live with yourself over it. Do you really want to have to live your life in self-enforced exile, because you were a little bitch and turned your back on your duty, Padawan? Do you want to spend the rest of your days punishing yourself for being a coward, and you see the mutilated bodies of dozens of children who died because of your inaction?"

Alek lowered his head, and said, "No, ma'am."

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you, you were too quiet. What did you say, Padawan?"

"No, ma'am." He replied louder.

"Good, now, let's take care of these guards so we can get in, take out the spirit, finish off the few that are still alive afterwords, and then get some rest knowing that we did a good job."

"Sounds good to me." Alek said.

"Good. What about you, Bastila? You ready to take the fight to that thing?"

"I think so." she replied.

"Excellent." Revan said, clapping both of them on the shoulder, "Now here's the plan. I'll take out the one in the center, and at the same time Bastila, you'll take the left one, and Baldy, you've got the right."

They nodded, and Revan continued, "When I light up my sabers, you two will do the same, and three seconds later you'll move. Clear?"

"Why three seconds?"

"Short period of time that's easy to count. Should make it easier to take them out all at once." she replied, cracking her fingers.

The two moved quickly, and Revan seized her twin weapons. The feel of the cold metal in her hands driving all thoughts from her minds as a void engulfed her. She stood there, in a state of mind beyond both thought and emotion. Coldly assessing the situation.

The three terentatek stood near the pillars, but far enough away to not be in danger of being crushed by them. They were all standard size for their species, but the one in the middle had larger tusks, and moved on all fours, instead of on two legs.

Revan gently pushed her fingers against the activation switches of her weapons, then pushed them down forcefully, igniting her twin blades. When Alek's and Bastila's ignited in her peripheral vision, she mentally counted, _'One... two... three!'_ before she leaped towards the middle terentatek, followed by Bastila and Alek attacking their respective enemies. Her sapphire blade pierced the skull of the creature beneath her, while she stabbed its violet twin into the terentatek's heart. It crumbled to the ground and she saw that Bastila and Alek had similarly dispatched their targets.

"Good work." She said, "We need to get in now. Before it realizes we're here."

They nodded, and at the black metal doors, Revan placed a hand on the central square, and a few seconds later the door opened. Inside, it was a simple, dark, rectangular room. After walking through another door, they were in a square chamber, and in the middle of it there stood a simple droid. It was a cylindrical machine with three legs extending from the widest point of the machine.

It let out a series of raspy noised, and Revan said, "What?"

It let out a series of shrieks, and she said, "How does a droid on Dantooine know the language of the sand people of Tatooine?"

It let out a series of sounds, and Revan said, "Do you know any language that we can understand?"

It said, in shyriiwook, _"I can speak any language spoken by organic lifeforms from when I was created."_

"What are you?"

_"I am the guardian of the one who was imprisoned here for his crimes."_

"Who?"

"_The warlord who turned his back on the Empire so that he may gain more personal glory."_

"What Empire?"

"_If you do not know, you are strange indeed. The Infinite Empire."_

Revan shook her head, and said, "Whatever. Where is the one who was imprisoned here?"

"_He is in the chamber containing his prison. But, to enter you must prove yourself worthy."_

"How?"

"_There is a series of challenges that I was programmed to administer to any who sought to move the prisoner. If they passed those challenges, they are deigned capable of handling the prisoner, and can move his prison."_

"I take it this is a small prison." Bastila said.

"_You will see if you are worthy."_

"What are your challenges?"

"_First, you must prove yourself powerful enough to handle the prisoner. Go into the chamber on the right, and there shall be something you must handle if you wish to take care of the prisoner."_

"Got it." Revan said, walking towards the room.

"Do you think that you'll be able to handle whatever is in there? It could be incredibly powerful." Bastila said.

"I'll be fine. Whatever's in there I can handle." she replied, "You two be careful while I'm gone." she said, opening the door. Inside was another rectangular chamber. She walked into the middle of the room, and started pressing keys at random.

When nothing happened other than the screen flickering to life, she said, "How do you work?"

It responded, in the same language that the droid had, and Revan shook her head. When she did, it opened a receptacle and let out another series of raspy sounds. She looked at it, and put her datapad in.

The machine made a series of beeping noises, and a few seconds later the symbols changed into Basic. Now the symbols said, "Welcome. Are you prepared to begin the challenge?"

Revan typed in, "Yes."

"Good. Engaging defenses."

Revan drew her weapons, and five droids fell out of the ceiling. Their design was strange. Each had a slightly curved middle section with a head extending forward out of the top. Slightly below the head of the machines, there was a bar at a right angle to the rest of the body, and from that bar there were two arms, longer than the middle section that they used to move. All five fired on Revan simultaneously, who drew her twin blades, and deflected all of the rounds. The shots hit the walls, and Revan molded the Force into an emp that stunned the droid directly in front of her.

One droid grabbed the back of her robe when she tried to move towards the stunned droids. She flipped both of her weapons around in her hands, and rammed them into the droids cortex. It collapsed, still holding onto her robe, tearing out a large section of the back.

She swore, and jumped on the still-stunned machine, cutting both of its arms off, before removing its head. The remaining droids arms then slid up, compacting and thinning into sharp blades, and the center section split in two and molded into legs.

One sprinted at Revan, swinging both of its blades at her. She raised her blades in time to deflect its attacks, but its mechanical strength pushed her back. She grinned, and threw her violet blade at the furthest droid.

The weapon flew through the air, rapidly approaching the droid, but it was knocked aside at the last possible moment.

Revan shook her head, and slammed all three droids into the walls, before grabbing her fallen blade and guiding it to behead all three droids. Then, the terminal said, "You have passed the test." and the door opened. Revan walked out, and said, "I've passed your first test. What's next?"

"_Prove that you have the wisdom to not be deceived by the prisoner."_

"How do I do that?"

"_Answer the questions properly."_ it said.

"Ask away." Revan said, as she shivered because her back was exposed to the cold of the tomb.

"_There are three warriors under your command, and they have betrayed you to your enemies. What do you do?"_

"What resources do I have?"

"_You are the leader of a large fleet."_

"How did they betray me?"

"_They have sabotaged your fleet's defenses."_

"What's my fleet doing?"

"_It is defending a largely unimportant world, that only produces a small amount of useful materials."_

"How many people are there on the planet?"

"_Two million."_

"In this hypothetical situation what would my enemies do to the people of a captured world?"

"_They will turn the entire population into their slaves."_

"I'll have my fleet stay and keep the people safe."

"_An illogical choice. You know that the enemy has a distinct advantage, even if you were to win, it would be with heavy casualties."_

"We were protecting the planet. I wouldn't order my fleet to retreat and leave the population to be enslaved by the enemy. And, if I was defending a largely unimportant world, I clearly wasn't the supreme commander of all of my side's forces, so I would be still following my orders. I wouldn't shirk my duty because the odds were against me."

"_Your choice, while illogical, is well reasoned." _the droid said, _"Next, you are on trial for crimes against the Empire that you did not commit. You know that it was one of your rivals who framed you for the crime. What do you do?"_

"What crimes am I being accused of?"

"_Attempting to kill the emperor."_

"How many who have been falsely accused of such a crime have proven their innocence?"

"_None."_

"Will the court even listen to defense?"

"_Unlikely."_

"Then I don't bother trying to defend myself. I just let the court know what I think of it and its so-called justice."

"_An intriguing choice. You have proven yourself brave enough and skilled enough to handle the prisoner."_

"Good." she said.

Then, Bastila asked, "What happened to your robes?"

"The combat test was to take out several droids, and one of them grabbed the back of my robes. Let's go take care of this bastard." she said, walking over to the door. She opened it, and immediately heard darkness say in the back of her head, _"Welcome, Interloper. I have been waiting for you."_

-=0=-

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Sorry for the long wait for this. And please, please review. PLEASE!**


	7. Chapter 6: The Dark Spirit

"_Welcome Interloper. I have been waiting for you."_ the spirit said.

"Why?" Revan asked.

"Why what?" Bastila asked.

"You didn't hear it say that it had been waiting for us?"

"_They are worthless."_ the spirit growled.

"What do you mean?"

"It's talking to you?"

"Yeah, but why, Spirit?"

"_You could be useful."_

"What makes you think I would help you, Spirit?"

"_You are no different than I am. Every day you seek to gain more power, with me you can."_

"I won't deny that I seek to become stronger, but I won't become like you to get stronger."

"_Why? Is one kind of power any worse than another?"_

"It's not about the kind of power, it's how that power is used, and how it is acquired. The ends don't always justify the means."

"_A foolish sentiment, child."_

"This isn't important, Spirit." she said, looking at Bastila and Alek, and seeing that they were uncomfortable. "I came here to bring an end to the chaos you're causing."

"_Why? The ones who were slain meant nothing to you."_

"It's not that they meant anything to me, its the principle of the matter, Spirit. They were Jedi, my brothers and sisters in arms. And, I know that as I speak that your terentatek are hunting other Jedi for you. Probably heading for the enclave. If they get in, there will be children who get killed, and if someone puts kids in danger, they'll find no mercy or assistance from me."

"_You will not help me?"_

"No way in hell. You can go fuck yourself, Spirit."

"That's not appropriate, Revan." Bastila said.

"It was the best word for the message that I was trying to convey. A quick, hostile syllable."

"_ENOUGH!" _the spirit roared. _"If you will not serve me, than you shall be destroyed!"_

"Bring it on." She said, igniting her twin blades.

It laughed, and said, _"That is not how you will be destroyed."_

"Then how will you take me out?"

"_The only way I can."_ it said, and a pyramid-shaped object behind it lit up like a star and Revan and the spirit were dragged into it.

-=0=-

Mandalore walked out of the shuttle into the harsh deserts of Tatooine. Looking around him, he said, "Find me some of the locals. They may have the information we require."

A soldier said, "Yes, sir."

"Good. We must find it if we are to have a certain victory."

-=0=-

Revan blinked, and was in a completely white area. "What the hell did you do?"

"_I brought you here so that I could finish you and take your form to reclaim what was mine before I was imprisoned."_

"What makes you think you could take my form? You said that you couldn't do anything."

"_True, I cannot affect others without their permission due to the cage. But, I can not let you leave this place."_

"So, we'll stay here until I die." she said, glaring at it.

"_There is another way that we could settle our differences. A challenge that if you win, I shall seal myself away within the cage once more."_

"What's your challenge?"

"_A challenge of wit."_

"What kind?"

"_I shall ask you a question, and if you answer correctly you ask me a question, until one fails to give a correct answer. The one who's question was too difficult to be properly answered is victorious, and shall leave this place."_

"Fair enough. Ask away."

"_We start out two, in a few hours, though, we number a hundred. What are we?"_

"Gizka."

"_Correct. What of your question?"_

"They are not a thing that you can comprehend. They claim to be our salvation through destruction. They are controlled by a glowing eight year old who speaks only in bullshit. What are they?"

"_I don't know."_

"Looks like I win." she said.

"_Your question was not fair!"_

"You didn't say that the question had to be fair. But, I'll give you three guesses, to be fair."

"_Are they a droid fleet?"_

"Nope."

"_Are they aliens?"_

"Kinda, but not exactly."

"_Are they your people?"_

"Nope. So, can I go now?"

"_No! I will not be imprisoned here any longer! Give me your form!"_

"You said that if I beat you that I'd get out. Stick to your word."

"_You cheated!"_

"No I didn't." she replied, "Let me out."  
_"Never! You will not force me to stay here!"_ it screamed, flinging stones at her.

She dove out of the way, and said, "I thought you couldn't affect the living. That the cage prevented it."

"_I will be free! You cannot stop me!"_

"You'll never get out of here."

"_We'll see about that." _it growled.

-=0=-

Bastila blinked, and asked, "What just happened?"

"I don't know." Alek said, walking over to Revan. He poked her with his foot.

"She's out cold." Bastila said, "I wonder what the Spirit did."

Then, the guardian walked in, and said, _"The fool has been taken into the cell as well!"_

"How do we get her out?"

"_There is only one way. You will have to enter to extract her. But, you have not proven yourselves worthy."_

"We can handle it." Alek said.

"Trust us, we'll get her out."

"_I have no reason to trust you."_ it said, poking Bastila and Alek in the leg.

The two Jedi stood still, and Alek asked, "How do we get in so that we can help her?"

"_I cannot show you. You do not meet the parameters for being allowed access."_

Alek kicked the droid to the ground and lit up his weapon, "How do we get in to extract her?"

_"You haven't proven yourselves worthy. I cannot share that information with you until you have."_

"Why can't you?"

"_My programming prevents me from sharing such information until those who request it have proven themselves worthy."_

"How do we prove ourselves worthy?"

"_I do not know."_

"What do you mean you don't know?" Bastila asked.

"_That information was blocked off by my Builders. You will have to prove yourselves without knowing what you must do."_

"Or, we could just take you apart and pull the information directly. What do you think of that?"

"_Your intimidation tactics will not work."_ it said.

"Fine." Bastila replied, walking over to the device, "I suppose I'll just have to open it up and let both of them out."

"_The cage does not work that way. If you open it, you will be dragged in and imprisoned forever."_

"We'll see about that." She said, walking towards the pyramid.

Alek grabbed her by the arm, and said, "You can't just go in there like that. We don't know what could happen if you opened that thing."

"We don't know what will happen if we leave Revan in there. Maybe that thing will destroy her and then kill all of the Jedi here on Dantooine."

"We can't be sure that will happen."

"We should just figure out what we have to do to prove ourselves."

"How, Baldy?"

"I don't know. But we can't take that kind of risk."

-=0=-

Revan dove away from the attacking spirit, and said, "We had a deal."

"_I will not be trapped in here. I have spent too long in this place! No longer!"_ it replied.

"You were supposed to have been a warlord." she said, ducking beneath an attack from the spirit, "Surely your word must have meant something to get such a position. Why then, do you now break your word?"

_"You have not spent the amount of time in this cage that I have. A blinding sea of white, what you once valued becomes nothing compared to escape."_

"So, you let the ones who locked you in here win." she growled, "You let them destroy your honor. If you keep acting like this, you'll just prove them right."

"_Honor means nothing! There is only the escape!"_

"Why? Do you want to escape as nothing more than an animal?"

"_I must escape. I must! If I don't, I will go mad!"_

"You already have gone mad! You're mindlessly attacking someone who beat you in a fair challenge."

"_You cheated!"_ it screamed.

"I played fair and square. You just didn't understand the question."

"_You did not use things that both our cultures had!_"

"I did what I had to in order to ensure my survival. I have things I have to do in the outside world."

"_Such as?"_

"Quit attacking me and I might tell you."

It paused for a moment, then said,_ "Very well, you have piqued my interest. Speak."_

She was silent for a moment, then began, "When I was a young child, my home was attacked by a group of people who call themselves mandalorians."

"_And your people killed all of those who dared attack their home? Proving their dominance in the galaxy?"_

"No, we weren't warriors, we were farmers. The only threats we ever had to worry about was random animals killing our livestock."

"_So, where were your those who were supposed to guard your world?"_

"We lived in a remote system. The military wasn't large enough to have a large contingent of soldiers and ships. So, the mandalorians came, and killed thousands."

"_And what happened to you?"_

"Quit interrupting."

"_Very well."_

"Anyways, when the mandalorians came to my house, my parents had me run away to protect me. They were killed by the mandalorians, and one of them found me. He took me to his ship, and sold me as a slave at a place that is controlled by... undesirables. So, to answer your question, what I have to do is simple, I need to find the son-of-a-bitch who sold me, so I can bring him to justice."

"_Do you hunt him for justice, or for revenge?"_

"Both." Revan said, looking around her. "Can you let me go back out now?"

"_No. I will not let myself be imprisoned in here any longer!"_

"You'll forever be imprisoned here." she said, running a hand through her hair, "If you manage to escape this place through killing me, what will you have become?"

"_I have to escape. I need to get free. I __**must**__ escape. I do not deserve to be punished! I am above the laws of the Empire! But, they saw me as a monster."_

"ENOUGH!" Revan shouted, "Let me out. Now."

"_No. I can't. I deserve to be free."_

"And I don't?"

"_You are not a warlord. I was one of the most powerful warlords of my time!"_

"But you aren't anymore."

"_I may have lost my power, but I will take it back!"_

"With what army?"

"_I need no army. I shall destroy your civilization alone!"_

"If you think that you can do that, you're a damn fool."

"_We shall see."_ it said, begin to pulsate with energy.

"Bring it on, you bastard." Revan growled, taking in a massive amount of Force energy. As she molded the energy, she glared at the spirit, then released streams of blue lightning.

The spirit took the strike, and laughed at Revan. She glared at it, and charged it. The thing flung a rock at her, but missed her, and then felt her fist connect with it.

It stumbled backwards, and she kicked it in the torso. It groaned as she then grabbed its right leg and broke it.

"_You win. I shall release you." _it said.

"Good. Let me out, now."

It then laughed, and hit her with a massive rock. She groaned, and said, "Alright, looks like I'm going to have to kill you with my bare hands."

-=0=-

Bastila looked at the pyramid, and said, "These markings are faded, and they aren't in any of our languages."

"So, why don't we go find out how to prove ourselves worthy of getting the information on how to extract Revan?"

"Because, we have no guide on what we'd have to do. Chances are that it's not even programmed with the knowledge we seek. We're going to have to just get her out by breaking the thing open."

"It won't fucking work." Alek muttered, and was immediately slapped by Bastila.

"Watch your language." She growled.

"I'll talk how I want." he replied, "So, we're supposed to break it open? How?"

Then, the droid knocked them both down, and said, _"You will not damage the cage."_

"Well, you could tell us how to enter to extract our companion so we don't have to." Alek said.

"_That information is blocked off for anyone who has not proven themselves worthy."_

"What was with your makers society that they had everyone have to prove their worth?" Bastila asked.

"_You are not worthy to question the ways of the Builders."_

"We'll question it all we want." Alek growled.

"_Then you will be destroyed." _The droid said.

"Wait, he's just being a pain in the ass. We'll just leave your societal quirks alone."

"_Very well. You shall be spared this time."_

-=0=-

Meetra stepped out of the temple, and saw a group of reporters run up to her. They all asked, "Master Jedi, why has your Order denied the Chancellor's request for aid?"

"I am not a member of the Jedi Council so I cannot tell you why they denied the Chancellor's reguest."

"You've got to have some information!" they insisted.

"Any information that I may have been told about the motives of the Council I was told on confidence that I would not share that information. So, if the Council has not told people why they aren't giving the Chancellor what they want, I won't be telling either."

"You've got to have something you can tell us."

"I'm done talking to you." she said, walking away.

They continued to follow, pestering her with dozens of questions. She shook her head, and said, "Leave me alone. I am armed, and will not be afraid to use it if you continue to pester me."

The reporters looked surprised and backed off. Meetra smirked, and got into the cab. "Take me somewhere there aren't reporters."

"Got it." the driver replied.

-=0=-

Revan panted, and said, "Alright. Let's finish this."

The spirit laughed, and said, _"Yes, let's end this."_

The two stood perfectly still, until the ground began to shake, and in popped a man shrouded in darkness. He grabbed the spirit and slammed it into the ground, and said, in a synthesized voice, "The path out is open. Leave now, if you wish to survive. I shall handle this worm."

"Who are you?"

"A man who was once a servant of the dark side. Go."

"Where's the exit?"

"Go back the way you came, it shall be there."

"How do I tell what that is? There aren't exactly any landmarks around here!"

"Just go. I don't know how much longer I can keep this thing in place."

"Fine." she said, running to her left. As she ran through the white plains, she began to feel faint. With every step she felt weaker and weaker. Each step became harder than the previous. At first she felt fine, but now each step was a battle. Every time she pushed a leg in front of the other now she felt a little bit of herself fade away.

Then, after fighting the exhaustion, she collapsed to the ground, her face slamming into the ground.

-=0=-

Meetra walked out of the cab, and saw a large number of thugs moving towards her. One of them, a tall guy with a long, pale, razor-thin scar running along the left side of his face. He said, "Look what we've got here, boys! Fresh meat."

They laughed, but Meetra said, "It would be inadvisable to try anything... untoward. I would rather not have to hurt you."

"You talk big for such a small lady." scarred-face said.

"You may see me as small and alone, but you really, _really_ don't want to pick a fight with me."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"I'm a Jedi. I'm sure you're well aware of how skilled we are. And of the ally we have with us everywhere. You know, a little thing called the Force."

"We ain't scared of no Jedi." A small man behind Scarred-face said.

"Well, you shouldn't fear us, but you should respect us. And, not pick a fight with us."

"We don't care what you are. You could be Mandalore, a Jedi, and a team of Republic Commandos all in one and we'd still kick your ass."

"You're arrogant. Just let me pass and I won't have to do anything beneath a Jedi. Such as taking all of you down and than taking you to the jail personally."

"This Jedi's got an attitude. Time to show her who's town this is."

"If that's how you want to do this, let's dance." Meetra said, her lightsaber flying into her hand as it ignited. With it in hand, she jumped towards one thug, and severed his hand, before ducking beneath the attack of another, and completely removing his arm.

The two fell to the ground, clutching at their missing parts former locations. Then, Scarred-face charged and knocked Meetra back. "You'll pay for hurting my boys!" He shouted, pulling out a repeating blaster rifle.

Meetra molded the Force and pressed it against the man's mind. "You want to put down the repeater." she said.

"You're a complete fool." he replied, waving one hand.

"Very funny." she said, throwing her lightsaber at him.

He watched it come, then ducked beneath it, grabbing the hilt. "You really don't know what I am, Jedi?" he asked.

"No clue. But you're good, whatever you are."

"I'm a Jedi Killer. I've spent years learning how to fight your kind. And you hurt my children."

"Sorry, but you were giving me trouble." Meetra said, cracking her knuckles, "So, how about we call it even, and I just go back to where I came from."

"No can do. You hurt my family, you die." he said, charging her with her own weapon.

"You're a damn fool." she said, pulling the lightsaber out of her hand, and stabbing him through the heart. "You can't beat a Jedi that easily."

"And you can't kill me that easily." he replied, kicking Meetra back. She groaned, and deflected the small blade he'd flipped out from inside his jacket sleeve.

She twirled her blade in a figure eight, severing both of the man's arms. He stumbled backwards, and said, "I'll still kill you."

"Don't make me do this." she said.

"If you want to survive, you don't have a choice."

"The Jedi Code forbids the killing others unless it's absolutely necessary. If you don't quit being such a damn fool, I'll just go, and you'll get to live."

"You're a fool if you think I'll surrender."

"Please, don't make me kill you. I don't like killing."

"Too bad." He replied, kicking her in the gut."

She shook her head, and severed his. "Sorry." she said.

-=0=-

Bastila blinked, and saw that Revan was sitting next to the artifact, glaring at it. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that." Revan replied, "I got out of that thing a few minutes ago, and you two were out cold."

"We were looking at it, trying to figure out how to get you out."

Revan nodded, and turned to Alek, "So, was she freaking out, Baldy?"

"Not freaking out," he said, "but definitely worried about you."

Revan laughed, and said, "I'm touched that you care."

"We-we had orders to help you to eliminate the threat. If you died in there, we'd have failed to follow the Council's orders."

"Riiiight. I think we all know the _real_ reason you were so determined to get me out."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Bastila replied, "Don't we need to find and terminate the final terentatek?"

"Bastila's right, we need to finish this mission." Alek said.

"It's already done." she said.

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because, the terentatek died when the spirit was sealed away in the... pyramid."

"Why do you think that it killed them?"

"They drew their very life-Force from it. With it locked up, they had nothing to support them. All that's left for us to do is get out of here and let the Council know about a job well done." Revan said, walking towards the exit. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and there were a few farmers with blasters.

The leader, a short man with fairly long blonde hair asked, "You three alright? We heard a bunch of noises coming from this direction?"

"We're fine. Who are you?"

"Calder Nettic. Local entrepreneur. This is my business partner Rickard Lussof."

Revan nodded, and starting walking towards the Enclave.

"So, what's a beautiful woman such as yourself doing all the way out here? It's not safe on the plains There are many kath hounds, and we've even found the bodies of huge creatures."

"I'm fine, Mr. Nettic. I just need to go report to the Jedi Council."

"Perhaps I could escort you?"

"Mr. Nettic, I am a Jedi Knight. Your advances are both pointless and inappropriate." she growled.

"Oh, my apologies Master Jedi."

"I told you I was a Knight, not a Master."

"Sorry, Jedi Knight."

"Good, now don't you have a family? Or is that wedding ring not mean anything to you?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll let you three go back to your enclave. I apologize for bothering you."

"Just don't do it in the future." she said, continuing on the path.

"You were harsh on that guy." Alek said.

"I have nothing but contempt for people like him."

"What do you mean?"  
"People who make vows, and then later on completely ignore them. They have no honor, and should be treated with as much respect as they gave their oaths."

Alek nodded, and asked, "what are you going to tell the Council happened in there?"

"The truth. There's no point in lying about what happened. We went in, terminated several of the terentatek, and then finished them at the source."  
"Shouldn't they know about what was really in there?" Bastila asked.

"No point in telling them. They won't act on it, and if they do, they won't find anything useful."

"What do you mean they won't find anything useful?"

"Whatever was in there, when it's dormant, is just a pyramid. They won't know what it does, they won't know what to do with it, and they could accidentally release the spirit, if they even manage to prove themselves worthy. No, what's in there stays between us. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Bastila said, looking down.

Revan smiled softly, and said, "Don't worry, this is for the best."

"If you say so."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." she said, walking up to the Enclave. She hit the com key, and said, "Knight Revan to the Masters of the Jedi Council. The mission has been completed successfully."

"Excellent." Vandar said as the doors opened.

Inside, Revan was greeted by the sight of the entire Jedi Council. And, Master Quatra walked forward and said, "It appears I misjudged you at first, Knight Revan."

"And perhaps I misjudged you, Master Quatra." she replied.

The Cathar nodded, and walked away.

"So, Revan," Vrook asked, "what did you do to handle the terentatek threat?"

"To begin with I left Padawans Shan and Baldy at a safe place, but it was compromised by one of the terentatek."

"How?" Dorak asked.

"I'll be getting to that." She replied, "They managed to get away from the beast, and ran towards the Sandral Estate where I was staying due to a massive storm. I sensed them coming and the terentatek pursuing them so I went out and eliminated the terentatek. After that, I took Padawan Shan and Alek to the crystal cave with me, where we set up a trap for the terentatek. Several came when we laid out the bait, but they were stronger than we anticipated. They managed to break through some of the barriers we put up without being harmed, and there was a fierce battle. In the end we won, but Alek was injured during it. After making sure he was fine, we moved out and continued hunting them. We were attacked by a larger-than-normal terentatek, and while we managed to terminate it I was injured. Padawan Shan managed to heal my wounds, though, and we continued hunting the beasts. Then, I decided to take care of them at the source, so we found the dark spirit and managed to get the upper hand against it and make so that it was no longer a threat."

"Very well done, Knight Revan. You are even better than Grand Master Sunrider told us." Dorak said.

"Thank you, Master Dorak."

"But, could we have a private word, Knight?"

"Of course, Master." she replied, following him away from the others."

In an isolated corner of the enclave, she asked, "What is it, Master Dorak?"

"While you were out hunting the terentatek I looked into the former Jedi Jolee Bindo, and have found a considerable amount of data." He said, handing her a datapad, "This has it all."

"Thank you, Master." she replied.

"It wasn't a problem, Revan." he said, "We need more Jedi like you."

"Thanks. May I return to my quarters, I'm really tired after fighting all those terentatek." she said, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

"Of course, Knight Revan." the Master said, looking up to the sky.

-=0=-

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait! Last week had family in town, and just had trouble writing this week. Anyways, now Chapter seven is up, please, please follow/favorite and review. Reviews make me very, very happy and ensure frequent updates.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Aftermath of the Hunt

Revan walked out of the Enclave again, and headed to her cabin. When she reached it she was shocked by the amount of damage it had sustained. The front door was completely gone a window was completely shattered, and there was a hole in the back of the building. _"Where's Urz?" _she thought as she entered and couldn't see it.

While she looked around, she heard a whimper from the bedroom. She walked in, and saw Urz curled up on her bed, one leg sticking out. She could practically feel the waves of pain radiating off of him, and when she walked up to him, he growled. "Easy boy. It's just me." she softly said.

He continued to growl at her, until she pressed her consciousness against the kath hound's mind. After a few seconds he quit growling, and just whimpered. "It's alright. Let's get you to someone who can fix you up." before picking up the creature and walking towards the enclave.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the Enclave, and went directly to the med-bay. There, she saw a group of doctors attending to Alek and Bastila. "What happened to them?"

"They've both suffered blunt force trauma to the back of the head. They've both got serious concussions." A doctor replied.

"Will they be okay?"

"They should be. They just need some time off their feet to recover. What about you, Knight?"

"I just came here 'cause I noticed my kath hound was injured. I think he's broken a leg."

"I'll take a look at it."

"Don't you need to be focusing on them?"

"There's nothing I can do to help 'em. Their recovery is in their hands, not ours. What about you, Knight? You were the one out with them, handling those monsters, right?"

"I'm fine."

"You should let someone take a closer look at you. I'm sure you got hit a few times out there. And, whatever field patches you may have had out there could not be enough to ensure a proper recovery."

"I'm fine."

"Just do as your told, kid. We don't want anyone to have permanent injuries because they didn't take proper care of themselves and let an actual doctor look at whatever wounds they suffered in combat."

"I'm fine. I don't have any wounds."

"Just do it, or I'll have the Council order you to get yourself looked at."

Revan shook her head, and said, "Fine, but make it quick. I've got stuff I need to do."

"I'm sure it can wait." the doctor replied, and sent her off to the other end of the med-bay, where an old female doctor put her on the examination table and asked, "Where were you struck while hunting the terentatek?"  
"Pretty much everywhere."

"In that case, you'll have to undo your robes so I can examine any injuries you've sustained."

She nodded, and after she took it off, the doctor winced and asked, "You haven't looked in a mirror where you could see your torso, have you?"

"No, why? Is it bad?"

"It's really bad. I'm gonna have to do some closer exams to see the extent of the damage."

Revan nodded, and a few minutes later was in a large machine. The doctor said, "Alright, now this will give me a look at what kind of condition you're in on the inside. It may hurt a little."

"Got it, let's just get this done with so that I can go and get some sleep."

The doctor laughed, and said, "I seriously doubt you're going to be leaving any time soon."

-=0=-

Fifteen minutes later, The doctor said, "We're going to have to take you to surgery now. You're in really bad shape."

"I don't even hurt anywhere."

"Yeah, it looks like whoever did a field patch also blocked all of your pain receptors. Your ribs are severely cracked. There's one that looks like it's about to go into your right lung, another that looks like it could hit your left lung, and all the others are seriously cracked. We're going to have to do surgery and leave you off your feet for the next few months. Probably spend most of that time in a kolto bath to speed up the process."

Revan nodded, and asked, "How's Urz?"

"Your kath hound? It's fine. Just got a minor break in a leg. At least that's what I was told by the vet."

Revan sighed with relief as she was wheeled off towards surgery.

Ten minutes later, another doctor walked up to her, and said, "Jedi Knight, we'll be working on putting your ribs back into place and then making sure that they aren't able to move around while they mend. In all likelihood you will be unconscious for the next six to twelve days, depending on the speed of your recovery."

"I can't be out that long. I've got stuff I need to do."

"Better that it doesn't get done than you kill yourself trying."

"I'll be fine."

"If you think messed up to the point where you won't be able to do anything for fear of slamming a rib right through your lung, then yes you'll be completely fine." he replied.

"Fine, just get it over with." she said.

He nodded and put in a small vial of anesthesia into the iv. "Alright, now I need you to count backwards from a hundred."

"One-hundred. Ninety-nine. Ninety-eight..." she began, and a couple of minutes later, "Two, one. What now?"

He put in another bottle of the anesthesia and said, "Start over. Sometimes you Jedi being so damn resistant to being knocked out by chemicals can be a real pain in the ass."

"Sorry." she replied, starting the countdown again.

A minute later, he said, "At least you went down with only two bottles." before she was carted off to surgery.

-=0=-

Master Vandar stood outside of surgery, and when the door was opened and Revan was wheeled out, he asked, "How is she?"

"She'll be fine, but we're going to have to have her unconscious for at least a weak. Probably longer."

"May I make an examination? Perhaps with the Force her recovery can be sped up."

"While we appreciate the offer, Master, it's best to let things such as these heal on their own. Even someone as skilled and powerful as yourself could make a mistake when attempting to mend wounds as delicate as these."

"I understand. Please let me know when she comes to." the Master said, _"That way I may speak to her about the news from Coruscant, and hopefully convince her not to go and fight the mandalorians until the High Council permits it."_ he silently added.

-=0=-

Vrook stood in the Council chambers, and asked, "How is she faring?"

"She will recover." Vandar said, "But it will take time. She has suffered serious injuries."

"The fool girl should have been more cautious."

"I do not believe her wounds were caused by any failure to be cautious. She was facing enemies that many of us would not have handled any better."

"Still, over a week out? There has to be some way to get her on her feet and training sooner."

"The doctors believe that it would be better to let nature run its course and have her heal normally. Any attempts to heal her faster are more dangerous than it is worth."

"We don't have time. We'll need Jedi to be ready for war when the High Council tells us it is time."

"I understand your concern, Master Vrook, but it is not something we can handle. And, I doubt they will change their minds to soon for her to fully healed."

"I hope you are right, for all of our sakes, Master Vandar." Vrook replied.

"Why?"

"Surely you received the same premonition I did."

"Ah, yes, that. While it may be true that only Revan can lead the Republic to victory and end the mandalorian threat, or we entirely misinterpreting what the Force has shown us."  
"It would be better to be safe than sorry." Vrook said.

"I agree, which is why Revan must be trained under Masters who show patience in regards to the war. That way we can influence her to wait until the time is right to go to war."

"Indeed." Vrook said.

"And what of her inquiry into Jolee Bindo, Master Dorak?" Vandar asked as the Chronicler entered the chamber.

"She was inquiring into that strange Jedi because he helped her when she was young. It appears that he is the one who saved her from Nar Shaddaa."

"Interesting. Why?"

"He undoubtedly sensed she was strong in the Force, and that if she stayed there she would become a Sith. After all, he lost his wife to the Sith in the war with Exar Kun. He would undoubtedly want to prevent their return."

Vandar nodded, and then turned to Zhar, and asked, "What is on your mind, Master Zhar?"

"We have been told not to fight the mandalorians, and to ensure our pupils do not. Does it not seem strange that the High Council would order such a move?"

"There is something dark on the horizon, Master Zhar, something dark behind the mandalorian attack. The High Council wishes to determine what it is before sending Jedi to war."

The twi'lek Master nodded, and said, "Then we should ensure that our students are well aware as to why we do not act, and to teach them that sometimes to protect the Republic, you must not act, lest Jedi be lost to the dark side and become worse than what they were trying to protect the galaxy from."

"Well said, Master Zhar." Vrook replied, glaring at the floor.

-=0=-

Meetra sighed, and curled up into a ball in her chambers, tears flowing down her face. The image of the man's face as she ended his life taunting her. _"Why didn't he just run? Why did he make me kill him? He should have known that if he kept fighting he'd die. Why was he so stubborn?"_

Then, Kreia walked up to her, and knocked on the door. She asked, "What is the matter, Meetra?"

"Nothing, Master."

"You are a terrible liar, Meetra. What's wrong."

"I don't want to bother you with it, Master."

"Why are you trying to keep it secret from me? Do you not trust your old Master?"

"It isn't that I don't trust you, Master. I just don't want to talk about it."

"I understand. The first time I killed another intelligent being was difficult for me too."

"How did you know?"

"Your battle with the Jedi Hunter was all over the news."

"I just want to be alone."

"A Jedi is never alone."

"Can't you just leave me with my thoughts, let me deal with it in my own way, Master? Can't you leave me like you did when you found Revan?"

Kreia shook her head, and said, "So, you don't want to talk to me not because you don't want to talk, but because you feel that I abandoned you when you needed someone that you could talk to the most. I am sorry that I could not have been there for you then, but Revan needed my help, and you know it."

"And I didn't?" Meetra asked.

"You needed someone to talk to, and I'm sorry that I was so busy with Revan. But, Meetra, I only did that, because I knew you were strong and would come to terms with it on your own."

"What if I hadn't? What if I'd been like the dozens of other Jedi who couldn't come to terms with what they were and had just killed myself, Master? What then?"

"I knew you would not, and if it seemed that you were going down that path I would have stopped training Revan for a while to help you."

"And why did you have Revan leave? Because you'd found another student no doubt."

"Meetra, I had Revan leave because it was the best for her. She recovered from what had happened here, but it was full of reminders. She was never truly happy here, so I sent her somewhere she could be."

"You don't know that!"

"I do. Revan herself told me that she didn't like the city. That it was too similar to Nar Shaddaa. But, this isn't about Revan, this is about you, Meetra. And coming to terms with what you had to do."

"I'll be fine. I've worked through everything with no one to talk to before, and I've been fine. I'll handle this on my own too."  
Kreia shook her head, and said, "Very well, Meetra. I just wanted to talk to you."

Meetra did not respond, but just stayed where she was.

-=0=-

Mandalore stood in the desert, and asked, "Have you found any data about the Map?"  
"Yes, sir. It is deep in the desert, and we will require a guide to find it. Fortunately, we have just the man. Though he is, unwilling."

"Bring him, force him to guide us." Mandalore replied.

"As you command." the man replied, hoping on his swoop bike and leaving.

Mandalore smirked under his helmet, and thought, _"Soon it will be ours, and nothing in the galaxy will be able to stop us. With an Infinite fleet we shall take Coruscant itself."_

-=0=-

Bastila blinked her eyes open, and saw a doctor standing over her. He said, "Good to see that you're up, Padawan... Shan. How do you feel?"  
"Fine, I guess. Why am I in here?"

"You had a pretty serious concussion, and we had to give you a couple of days of rest and several kolto injections to get you back in top condition."

"Thanks, can I go now? I probably have training."

"You've still got time off of training, according to my records here." he said.

"Oh right, I'm Revan's guide during her first few days here." she said.

"Good to see that your memory's still in good condition. You can go whenever you want."

She smiled, and said, "Thanks." before leaving. However, just before the door she saw Revan in a kolto bath. "What happened to her?"

"That Knight? It's really bad. All of her ribs were broken or cracked. Have her in there to speed up the recovery."

Bastila nodded, and thought, _"I thought I mended those. Must have re-broken when she collapsed in that tomb." _then she added, "How long will she be in there."

"Probably a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks for a few broken ribs?"

"Normally it wouldn't have been so long, but she kept doing physical activity after they were broken and made the situation worse."

-=0=-

Carth sat quietly in his living room on Telos IV. Morgana walked over to him and asked, "What's wrong, Carth?"

"You heard about the mandalorians attacking the Republic. And how the Jedi rejected their request for aid. I just don't know if I should return to active military service or stay a non-combatant."

Morgana put a hand on his shoulder, "You want to fight them, don't you?"

"Of course I do, but I know how much you hated it when I was in the army."

She nodded, looking around the room and for something to say. Then, she said, "Carth, I'll understand if you want to go and fight, and I won't be upset. I'll be proud to know that you're out there protecting the Republic. Just don't do anything that would get you killed."

He nodded, and said, "I'll do what I can. But, I should contact the recruiter sooner rather than later. The Republic needs as many soldiers as it can get."

"You better be back for Dustil's first birthday."

"I don't know if the war will be over by then. The mandalorians are skilled warriors."

"Carth, you had better find a way to be back for his birthday, is that clear?"

He laughed, and said, "Alright, I'll do what I can." before walking out of the living room into the inter-galactic range communications room. Inside, he hit a few keys, and up came Admiral Dodonna.

She said, "Carth, are you willing to serve in the Republic military again?"  
"I am, ma'am. Where am I to report, and when?"

"Coruscant in twelve days time. Hopefully you've not forgotten that special forces training of yours."

"I've kept my skills sharp, ma'am."

"Then do what you need to prepare. The Republic needs soldiers like you."

"Understood." he replied.

-=0=-

Supreme Chancellor David Anderson stood in the Senate Chambers and said, "We stand at the precipice of a war the likes of which the Republic has not seen since the days of Exar Kun. If we are to survive we will need to focus all available resources to defeating the mandalorian menace. They have attacked our worlds in the Outer Rim, so we must attack them and liberate what they have taken. That is why I propose that the Republic is put into a state of emergency and that my term as chancellor is extended so that we do not have multiple issues at the same time."

For a while, there was nothing, then the Senators votes started to come in. Looking at them, Anderson sighed with relief and said, "Thank you. Now, let's get to other matters."

-=0=-

Canderous stood on the bridge of Mandalore's flagship, and asked, "How is this planet prepared to defend itself against our assault."  
"It isn't, sir. They're a bunch of farmers, and don't appear to have any weapons other than blaster pistols to protect their animals from local predators." a lieutenant said.

"Alright. Let's see how it will hold against our attacks. Send down six units on Basilisks. If that isn't enough begin a full-scale assault. I want this planet conquered in a week."

"Yes, sir."

-=0=-

A man cloaked in darkness approached a pair of children, and said, "You have great promise. Come with me."

"Who are you?" the older of the two asked.

"I am... a friend of your parents."

"Yeah right. Get away from us." the second said, grabbing his brother and running.

However, the man simply appeared in front of them. He said, "You do not want to struggle." as he waved a hand at them.

They said in a monotone, "We do not want to struggle."

"You will come with me."

"We will go with you."

The man laughed, and shepherded the children into a nearby speeder. _"They will make excellent warriors in a few years. The Republic will fall and my new empire will rise in its place."_

-=0=-

Three days later Revan's eyes opened, but immediately closed as they encountered kolto. She started pounding on the glass, desperately trying to get out. _"I can't open my eyes. They dumped me in a vat of kolto so I can't open my eyes I have to get out."_

Then, a doctor walked up and said, "Easy there. You've still not fully recovered."

Revan glared at her with closed eyes, unable to talk because of the breather mask around her mouth.

"Easy, kid. You don't want to hurt yourself further. Just get some more rest."

"_You try resting when you're stuck in a tank of kolto, doc."_ Revan thought, glaring at the doctor.

"Revan, what is the issue?" Master Vandar asked as he entered.

"_I'd telly you but there's this giant tank of kolto that's making it kinda hard to talk, Master."_ she thought, looking at the small alien.

"I see. You wish to leave the kolto tank. Do not worry Revan you will in time, but first you need to recover from your battles earlier."

"_Wait, you can read my mind? How?"_

"It is a talent I have honed over my many, many years of training young Jedi such as yourself."

"_Right, can I please go now? I've got stuff I need to do."_

"I am afraid that is not an option at the moment. You _have_ to recover. And this is the fastest way for you to recover."

"_I'm fine, Master. Just a little stiff from not moving for... how long ago was I put under?"  
_Three days, Revan. You should be restored to perfect condition in a few more. Just relax and let the medication pull you under."

"_Very well, Master." _she replied.

The old man smiled, and said, "All shall be well, Knight."

-=0=-

Meetra walked along the path, and sent another message to Revan. _"Why hasn't she responded yet? She's never been this slow before? And it isn't just transmission lag."_

Master Oraka approached Meetra, and said, "Knight Meetra."

"Yes, Master."

"I have recently received news from Dantooine, and it seemed appropriate that some of it be shared with you."

"What?"

"There were several terentatek on the planet, and Knight Revan was tasked with eliminating them, with the aid of two Padawans."

"What? They sent Padawans after those things, are they insane?"

"That is irrelevant to what I am trying to tell you." Oraka replied, "During the hunt, she was severely injured, but managed to finish the mission."

"Is Revan going to be okay?" Meetra interrupted.

"Quit interrupting, Knight. All of her ribs were cracked or worse. The doctors on Dantooine performed surgery, and she will make a full recovery in a week or two."

"Thank you for telling me about this, Master."

"It was not a problem, Knight." Oraka replied, walking away.

-=0=-

**A/N: Well, here we are, eight chapters in to the story. Hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. And please drop me a review telling me what you do and don't like about the story so far, and I'll do what I can to remedy that in future chapters. 'Til next time, have a great week.**


	9. Chapter 8: Training Part 1

The sound of kolto draining from the tank she was in woke Revan up. A moment later she blinked open her eyes, and saw that it was gone, and she was standing firmly on the bottom of the kolto tank at the Enclave.

"You're looking... uhm, better." Bastila said.

"Why were you watching me, Bastila?" Revan asked, with a single eyebrow raised.

"Master Vrook sent me to get you since you were being brought of the kolto today." Bastila replied, looking curiously at Revan.

"What's wrong with me? What did they do to me while I was unconscious?"

"Uhm, nothing. I'm sure it'll wear off in a few hours, or days. Maybe months. Or years. Or never."

"What happened, Bastila?" Revan asked, sounding concerned.

"Nothing serious, just a slight... cosmetic change."

"What is it?"

"Uhm, your hair... it's now... uh, blue."

Revan's eyes twitched for a moment, then she said, "They died my hair?"

"Uh, no."

"What do you mean, no?"

"It turns out you're a one-in-a trillion kind of person."

"I already knew that."

"Not personality or talent, but genetically. You are one of the very, very, very few people who have some... negative effects when exposed to large amounts of kolto. You're actually lucky, just having your hair change color."

"How is that lucky?" Revan asked.

"Uhm, most people who have the rarest allergy ever, well after oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, water, and the sun, die horribly painful deaths. So, a slight mutation in your genetic code that produces the pigments that determine the color of your hair. Or, at least that's what the doctor's said."

"Wait, if I have to be exposed to kolto will my hair color change again?"

"The doctors believe that you are exposed to large amounts of kolto again you will have a more serious reaction to it. So, you're stuck with blue hair unless you want to get a ridiculously expensive genetic treatment to undo it."

"Great. Why wasn't I ever told about this problem before?"

"Because it's only noticeable after exposure causes the negative side effects. But, Vrook's not very patient. He said that you've wasted enough time recovering already."

"Where is he?"

"In the training grounds near the Council chambers."

"Thanks, you should get back to whatever you were doing though. Don't want to have Quatra getting on my case again." Revan said, looking for her belongings.

Bastila turned to leave, but Revan asked, "Where's my stuff?"

"In the locker in the corner."

"Thanks." Revan said, walking over to it and quickly grabbing her lightsabers and a fresh pair of dark blue Jedi Knight robes. After changing, she walked out, and was soon in the training grounds.

Vrook asked, "What did you do to your hair, Knight?"

"Nothing, Master." She replied.

"But it is a different color than before. Tell me the truth, Knight." Vrook growled.

"Master, I am. It turns out I have an allergy to large amounts of kolto, and it messed up the pigment in my hair."

"I see. Draw your weapons, we will begin your training immediately." he said, drawing his purple blade.

Revan ignited her weapons, and began circling Vrook. He watched her silently, then said, "You don't need to stand with your back ramrod straight. Let it relax, it will help your flexibility."

She nodded, and slipped into a casual slouch, watching the Master's movements carefully. He then said, "You hold your weapons too tightly. In a long battle your hands will begin to cramp. It is better to hold it loosely, but firmly."

"Yes, Master." she said, slightly loosening her grip.

"Good." Vrook said.

Revan nodded, then saw a slight deformation in the floor that Vrook was headed for. _'He'll be there in about four seconds. If I strike now, I can distract him, and use that to knock him off balance.'_

She charged, with her two weapons behind her, then struck at Vrook with an upwards X strike. He ducked beneath it, and kicked her in the chest, knocking her backwards. He stabbed at her with his weapon, but she leaped over him and kicked him in the back of the head as she passed him, before turning in mid-air and swinging the blue lightsaber in her left hand.

He deflected it with his blade, and used that as a chance to enter into a flurry of strikes. She blocked the first blow towards her head with her violet blade, the second towards her left side with her sapphire, the third towards her neck with both, and the fourth with the blue while swinging her other at Vrooks left shoulder.

The Master released his weapon with his left hand, and grabbed her lightsaber with it just before it connected, the energy weapon fizzling as he used the Force to absorb its blade. He then pushed her back, and said, "A smart move, Revan, but you should never assume simply because another Jedi's blade has been contained that they cannot block your strikes." Vrook said.

"Yes, Master." she replied, watching him, waiting for his next attack. Then, he leaped at her, the weapon in his hand seeming to trail behind him as he swung it downwards towards Revan. The Knight barely raised her weapons in time to catch it, and the force behind his strike sent her stumbling backwards, then she felt the heat of his lightsaber at her throat. "Yield." he said.

"As you said, Master, simply because a Jedi's weapons are not usable, doesn't mean they are defenseless." Revan replied, sending out a shock wave of Force energy from her body.

The Master stumbled backwards, and said, "Clever, but dangerous. That is not one of the standard powers Jedi are trained to use. To experiment is dangerous."

"To not experiment would lead to stagnation, which is more dangerous, Master." she replied, ducking beneath a strike from Vrook.

"Would you rather lose your life because you were experimenting with powers beyond your comprehension?"

"Yes." she replied, blocking as he struck at her left side, and countering with a twin strike at his exposed right side. But, just as he moved his blade to block her attack, she moved the blue weapon to hit his left arm. However, he ducked, and swept her legs out from underneath her.

"You have talent, but there is still much for you to learn if you wish to become my equal. However, you have proven your skills with the lightsaber, go speak with Master Vandar in the Council Chambers. We shall train more tomorrow."

"Understood, Master Vrook." she replied, leaving the training room. _'Damn, he's good. And a lot less... harsh than everyone said.'_ she thought, while entering the chambers.

-=0=-

Meanwhile, Bastila walked up to Quatra and asked, "What do you need, Master?"

"You have spent a good deal of time with Knight Revan, especially during the recent terentatek incident. What do you think of her, Bastila?" the Cathar asked.

"She seems to be a good person who is devoted to the Jedi Order and wishes the best for it."

"I see. What of her skills, Bastila?"

"She is incredibly skilled. She managed to defeat many of the terentatek beasts simply with her lightsaber and extensive knowledge of how to use the Force."

"I see. Do you think she has the discipline to rise to Jedi Master?"

"Yes, while she may appear rough around the edges, but she is wiser than she lets on at first."

"I see. Bastila, you are to keep a close eye on her and tell me everything that she says to you."

"You want me to spy on another Jedi?"

"Yes, I have strong reason to believe that she could cause great harm to the Jedi Order as a whole with... radical beliefs."

"I see. I will do as you ask, Master." Bastila said.

"Good. Go and enjoy the rest of your day, Bastila." the Cathar said.

Bastila walked off, and thought, _'Why does she want me to spy on Revan? That doesn't seem like something a Master would ask her Padawan to do. Maybe Alek was right, maybe she really is only a step above the dark side. I-I don't know what I should do. Maybe Master Vandar will have advice. He's always been open to speak to me when I was having trouble.'_ before walking towards the Council Chambers. Inside, there were Revan and the tiny Master engaged in combat with the Force.

As they danced around each other, with grace and attacks of Force energy of such strength that it made Bastila shudder, she saw something in Revan's eyes that she never would have expected. She was in perfect peace, dueling with the Master.

She moved with agility and grace, giving the Master some difficulty. He gave Revan some advice every now and then, but most of the time they fought in silence. As she watched, Bastila thought, _'Why would I spy on her? She's not trying to hurt the Order, but help it. If she really wanted to harm the Order, she could easily kill so many of us with ease. Spying on her could upset her, and make her turn against the Order, and if that happened, we'd all be doomed.'_ Bastila thought.

Then, Revan asked, "What you thinking, Bastila?"  
"Sorry, what?"

"What were you thinking?" The Knight asked.

"I just had some stuff on my mind."

"I see. Don't you have training?"  
"I've already done what I'm supposed to for today. What about you?"

"Just finished up Vandar's tests to see where I am, and did Vrook's before that."

"What was it like, dueling with Vrook?"

"It was tough, but exhilarating. Fighting an actual blademaster is not like anything I've done before. But, someone so skilled with the blade is terrifying."

"Why?"  
"Because, when you're fighting them, you know that they could kill you with ease if they wanted. That they're playing with you. Every move they make is with a speed and grace that only comes with decades of practice. When you fight them, you know that if it wasn't training, you'd die."

Bastila just nodded, then asked Revan, "I've seen you fight with the lightsaber, you're really close to Vrook in talent, why do you think that he could beat you easily?"  
"It's just something that you can feel in the Force when you're fighting someone that good."

Bastila looked around the plains, and asked, "Are you looking for something out here now?"  
"Nothing specific. I'm just looking for something."

"What?"  
"It's not something that I can describe."

"You could try." Bastila said.

"It's not something I can describe, because I have no idea what it is. It's just I have a feeling in the back of my head that I lost something important and that I really need to find it." Revan said, "What was your life like before you were sent to the Order?"

"Nothing remarkable. My family and I traveled across the galaxy on various dangerous treasure hunts my mother sent father on."

"Why did she send him on these treasure hunts?"  
"She wanted to live in wealth and luxury, but no matter what father found, no matter how many credits he made it wasn't enough for her. He ended up going on more and more dangerous hunts to make her happy. Leaving me alone with her for weeks at a time. And in all that time she never showed any concern for him once."

"Have you spoken to your father since joining the Order?"

"No, it's strictly forbidden. The rules are clear that there is to be no family contact after joining the Order."

"Some rules are meant to be broken, Bastila. You still have a living family, and you should stay in touch with them. Even if the Jedi don't approve, some things are more important."  
"You can't be serious!"

"Bastila, I know the Jedi are against family and the like, but listen to me on this. You shouldn't let the fear of one organization separate you from family. Family is one of the most important things out there, and to abandon it for the Jedi is foolish. Family relationships do have a lot of emotion involved in them, but your family is one group that you never quit being a part of. And, trust me on this, family can help Jedi stay away from the dark side."

"But, it's dangerous!"

"Bastila, everything that's worthwhile is dangerous. The path of the Jedi is dangerous, but you still follow it. Just, take a risk and keep in touch with your family."

"Why do you want me to keep in touch with my family? And how can you be so certain that it's worth the risk?"

"Because, if you don't try to reconnect with your family, you'll regret it when you're looking back on your life in your old age."

Bastila shook her head, and said, "I'd rather not talk about this. This is all just really confusing for me. There's the Council and Master Quatra telling me one thing, and then there's you telling me something entirely different. It just leaves me not knowing what to do."

Revan laughed, and said, "I know what you mean. When I was still an apprentice I had Master Kreia telling me to think for myself, while every other Jedi I came across told me to just accept the Jedi Code and follow it without question."  
"If you don't mind me asking, what were your parents like?"

"They were good people. They were very much like Jedi. They stood for what they believed in no matter how dangerous. They risked life and limb to keep the colony safe. They were stern, but fair. They were open-minded. They didn't judge others based on what they believed or felt. They just accepted it and tried to understand everyone." Revan said, "Even when the mandalorians came, they tried to resolve things peacefully. But, mandalorians don't know the meaning of the word peace." Revan said, anger starting to slip into her voice, "Sorry," she added calmly.

"You really hate them, don't you?"

"Of course I do. They killed my parents and sold me into slavery. Some things you can't forgive. Sometimes things happen that you can never forget. Things that are burned into you. Things that become a part of who and what you are. What they did is one of them."

"You should just let go of it, it can't lead to anything good." Bastila said.

Revan stopped in her tracks, and clenched her fists. She then turned to Bastila, and growled, "Listen, Bastila, I can't let go of it. Even if I killed every last mandalorian I would still be haunted by them. What they've done is more than just some bad memories, it's a part of me. It's in my DNA. I can't move on and I never will be able to. Every day I feel like I shouldn't be here. That I should have died that day on Deralia. You don't know what it's like being a slave on Nar Shaddaa. I was one for two years of my life. Most people would have just killed themselves if they'd been through what I have. You have no right to tell me to just let it go! You don't know what real pain is, but you think that being sent to the Order against your will means you know what true suffering is! You've lived a sheltered life that has never seen what real pain and suffering is! You haven't seen your family die, you haven't lost your home and been sold as a slave! You don't understand what I've been through, so you have no right to tell me to just let it go! I'm surprised you even have the gall to." she finished, walking away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, Revan."

"Leave me alone. Meetra was right, I shouldn't have come here. I should have known that people here would ask me about Deralia and then tell me to just get over it."

Bastila sighed, and said, "Alright. Hopefully you find whatever you're looking for."

Revan glared at her, and stormed off.

-=0=-

Meetra was sitting in her quarters when her data pad beeped. She picked it up, and saw a message from Revan. "I can't believe the people here. A Padawan just asked me about my past and when I told her about it she told me I should just get over it."

Meetra replied, "So, is the kid still in one piece?"  
"I don't cut people up just because they piss me off. I'm no Sith or mandalorian."

"You might want to take a deep breath, Revan. I can practically sense your anger through the com link."

"Calm down, Meetra? You do realize what I was just told to do, right?"

"Yes, but letting what some dumb kid suggested isn't really like you, Rev. You'd normally just laugh it off. What's the kid like that she'd actually get under your skin."

"It's not about who it was, it's the fact that someone had the nerve to tell me to just get over it."  
"Revan, you have just laughed in the face of other people who have told you to get over what happened. What's different about this kid?"  
-=0=-

Revan shook her head, and replied, "I don't know."

"So, you can read everyone else, but you can't read yourself?"  
"I don't get it. There's nothing special about this kid. Average with a lightsaber, a bit better than average with the Force, but nothing special."

"What about her personality? Maybe there's something you _'like' _about her_._" Meetra replied.

"Really, Meetra? She's a minor."

"Oh, don't try anything until she's older, Rev. Don't want to end up in jail."

"You really aren't helping, Meetra."

"You're the one who's got a thing for a minor, Revan, not me."

"I do not have a 'thing' for anyone, especially not minors." Revan said, blushing.

"Right, then how come this kid managed to get under your skin after knowing you for a few weeks and not even trying when I wasn't able to with trying nearly non-stop for over four years?"

"You really are not being helpful."

"Oh relax, there's no big problem with liking a minor, so long as you wait to act until she's legal."  
"Meetra, just drop it."  
"Oh come on, Rev. No one would judge you if you wanted this kid."

"Actually, quite a few people would, especially me. So, drop it, Meetra, or I will quit my training here just so I can slap some sense into you."

"Oh, finally managed to hit a nerve. You must _really_ like her."

"Meetra, I am warning you, this is your last chance. I've had a bad day, and you are not being any help."

"Fine, grouch. :-("

"You were the one being a pain in the ass."  
"Oh, would you rather the pain in your ass was from the kid? :-)"

"Meetra..."

"Oh come on, you walked into that one like it was a brick wall and you were a drunk."

"It wasn't funny."

"If you say so, buzzkill."  
"I am not a buzzkill, you were being inappropriate."

"When did you become Master Oraka?"

"I haven't become Master Oraka. It's just someone has to keep you in line or the Council will exile you for actions not fitting a Jedi Knight."  
"Yeah right. I'm sure they'd be willing to overlook a few jokes."

"Maybe. Or, they could view it as you trying to send another Knight to the dark side. Never can be sure with them."

-=0=-

Alek walked along the plains of Dantooine, when he sensed an immense anger coming from the plains. He walked towards it, and saw Revan just standing there, typing into a datapad. He asked, "What's the matter?"  
"None of your business."

"Alright. You need anything?"  
"Privacy, Baldy."

"Okay." he replied, walking away.  
Revan looked up at the sky, and typed into her datapad, "I have to go handle some stuff here on Dantooine. Looks like some bandits are heading my way."

"Bandits?"

"If it is bandits, I'll be fine. I just hope it isn't who I think it is."

"Who?"  
"Some local who doesn't seem to know how to mind his own business, gotta go." Revan sent, turning off her datapad.

Up walked a local man, who when he saw Revan approaching he asked, "Do you need something, Master Jedi?"

"No, I simply thought you might be someone else." she replied, walking back towards her cottage. When she arrived, she found that it had been completely fixed, and that Urz was sitting at the door, wagging his tail. She petted the kath hound, and asked, "Miss me, boy?"  
He barked, and followed Revan into the building. She went into the fridge and getting what she needed to make a quick meal. After cooking and eating the meal, she walked back outside, and thought, _'At least there aren't any terentatek this time.'_ She walked down towards the grove, where she saw Bastila meditating.

The Knight sat down by the Padawan, and began joining in the meditation. They sat there in silence, meditating. As Revan felt the Force flow around her, she felt a strange sensation in the back of her mind. She felt a boost of confidence from out of nowhere, then said, "You're practicing Battle Meditation, aren't you?"  
"Only when you showed up. Master Quatra keeps telling me I should practice whenever there's a chance."

"It's a hard skill to master."

"That's what everyone says, but it seems so easy."

"We've already had this conversation." Revan said.

"Yeah." Bastila said, looking around nervously.

"What's bothering you."

"I can tell that you're still angry at me, but you're acting like nothing happened."

Revan then looked at the ground, then said, "I lost control earlier over myself earlier. I let my anger about people always telling me to just let go of my past control me. I'm still angry, yes, but it isn't important. I should not have lost control over myself. Everything I've been trying to tell you about thinking for yourself and not acting like a mindless drone of the Council has lost its credibility because of my actions. I'm sorry that I flipped out at you earlier."  
"I thought you had a right to. I had just told you to let go of the pain that's become a part of you."

"I'm a Jedi, I shouldn't have let it control me. The Order may have problems, but Jedi shouldn't let their emotions control them."  
"It's alright, Revan. Everyone has a bad day every now and then."  
Revan shook her head, and said, "The thing is, I'm not just an ordinary person, even for a Jedi. I'm someone who from the moment she joined the Order had the potential to be one of the best Jedi in ten thousand years and was expected to become as good as she had the potential to. I have to adhere to a higher standard. I have to be certain that I _never_ slip up. Otherwise, I've failed."

"Isn't it, I don't know, arrogant to expect yourself to be absolutely perfect all the time? And, I thought you didn't really follow the orders of the Council that thoroughly."  
Revan looked up at the clouds and said, "Maybe you're right."

"I'm surprised you're bothered at all. I thought that your interpretation of the Code let you feel emotion."  
"I may be allowed to feel emotion by my interpretation of the Code, but I'm not allowed to be dominated by my emotions. There are still limitations, though they are less severe than those of the Council."

Bastila nodded, then asked, "Revan, what is it you're trying to achieve? I know you're trying to become the best you can, but you don't seem to have any ambition other than that."

"I'm trying to become the best I can so that when the mandalorians attack the Republic, I can go and show them that they aren't the masters of the galaxy. That there are still forces greater than they are."

"What if the Council forbade action?"  
"I would wait, for a while, but not too long." Revan replied, silently adding_, 'I've got no reason to live other than making those bastards pay for what they've done.'_

Bastila nodded, and said, "I'm expected back at the Enclave now. Talk to you later?"

"Sure." Revan said, staring into the grove as Bastila walked away.

-=0=-

**A/N: Here's chapter nine. Please leave a review with your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 9: Training Part 2

**A/N: Just a quick note here. There's a bit of technobabble in this chapter. If it isn't accurate to the lore or how things work in the real world, I am sorry, I am no expert on the subject in question.**

Revan stood in the ancient grove, staring into the sky as she thought, _'She's a nice enough person, but doesn't know how to stay away from certain subjects. Wait a minute, why am I even thinking about Bastila? Oh, Force,what if Meetra's right? No, she can't be.'_

Then, her datapad beeped and saw another message from Meetra. "So, what's the kid like? :-)"

"Really, can't you talk about something else?"  
"Not until you confess to me your dark thoughts about this young Padawan."

"I have never had any and I never will. Were you able to get that old T3 working?"  
"No, but your attempts to change the subject will not work. Tell me all about your crush. :-)"

"Meetra, drop it."

"You've got to relax, Rev. There's nothing wrong with liking other girls."

"I agree, but you really, really, really are starting to get on my nerves. Do _you_ have a thing for this Padawan you've never met?"  
"Nope, you should know who I'm interested in. :-)"  
"Oh, are you worried about me ending up with some kid from Talravin instead of with you? No worries, Meetra, I'm not going to be with either of you."  
"Awwwww, :-("

"Your sadness makes me laugh. :-D"

"Jerk."

"You know I'm just messing with you, Meetra. Have you tried re-insulating the wires and then bypassing the secondary motion actuators?"

"The what?"

"The secondary motion actuators. It's what enables the droid to still move if its treads aren't working properly."

"How do you know this off the top of your head?!"

"Before Deralia was attacked my dad and I spent hundreds of hours working on droids. You could say that I got my love of working on droids from dad."

"Or it could just be a reminder of a more innocent time before the... incident."

"Maybe. You tried it?"  
"Yeah, looks like it's gonna work... Oh wait, just fell apart again. Any other ideas?"

"You could try opening its and checking for anything that's damaged. If the problem isn't in the drive train it could just be that the wiring's so old that it has decayed so much that you'll have to replace all of it."

"How do I check the drive train?"

"Sigh. Meetra, just go to the droid shop and get professional help. When it comes to fixing droids you're hopeless."

"I am not hopeless, you've just got a problem of not being able to explain things to people who haven't gotten a doctorate in robotics! : ("

"Relax, Meetra, you aren't the worst droid mechanic I've ever met. Still better than that guy you're hanging out with a lot.(you really should quit making him think you're interested in him.) Of course he's so bad with droids that I'm pretty sure he isn't allowed to work on them."

"Yeah, the Council told him he wasn't allowed to touch droids after he blew one up trying to clean the interior of one's arm."

"Well, I've got some work I need to do. Have to fix a droid here to prevent a war between two farmers."

"Can two farmers even have a war? Wouldn't that just be a feud?"

"I guess so, but I have to go prevent them from having an excuse to go and murder each other."

"Have fun! :-)"

"I'll try." Revan replied, walking back to the Enclave. When she entered, she went to the empty landing zone, and walked over to the droid shop. She said, "I'm the one who the droid's being held for. How bad is it?"

"The droid's locomotion actuators have been damaged and there appears to be some frayed wiring near to the cortex. Not to mention the obvious damage to the exterior plating."

"How many hours of work do you think it will take to repair this?"  
"With the proper tools and parts it would take about fifty hours since the locomotion actuators are serious and they can't be replaced since it's a model we don't have."

"Do you have any guides for repairing this particular model of locomotion actuators?"  
"We've got a manufacturer's guide."

"How much?"  
"All expenses for Jedi Knights are covered by the Order."

"Alright, I'll take a guide. Does this model require any special tools for repair?"

"Nope, just what's in a standard repair kit."

"Got it, thanks." she said, using the Force to pick up the droid. She walked back to her house and inside turned all of the lights on. She covered the living room of furniture and got her repair tool kit. She sat down by it and began removing the armor plating so she could get to the actuators.

-=0=-

Six hours later, Revan sighed, and walked to her room, followed by Urz. She said, "Out! You can't sleep in here, Urz.'

The kath hound lowered its head and walked out the door, which Revan quickly closed. _'geez, I thought he knew better than to try and come in here.'_

-=0=-

Canderous stood in the bridge of his vessel, and asked, "Where to next, Mandalore?"  
"Set course for Cathar. The Cathar race should make excellent foes."

"As you command, sir." Canderous said, but thought _'We have an entire fleet for orbital bombardment. This will not be the glorious battle you promised us. They will be slain like animals from orbit.'_

-=0=-

Revan walked into the Council chambers, where she was greeted by Vandar. He said, "Today, Knight Revan, we will be only working on your Force skills, and tomorrow you will work only on your lightsaber training with Master Vrook. After much discussion we decided that it would be best to simply alternate days between Force and lightsaber training."

"I understand, Master. What do you wish for me to do?"

"Follow me." the ancient sage said, walking towards another part of the Enclave. He stepped up to a wall, and said, "Through here, Knight Revan, is a special training ground that only the strongest Jedi here at the Enclave ever see. We shall train there, since your talent is great enough."

"Fake wall? Or does the ground open up?"  
"Neither. The wall is real, but that does not mean it cannot be opened. You, Knight Revan, shall do so. Breath in deeply and feel the Force flow through you and around you. When you do, focus the Force and channel its power into the wall."

"Alright." She said, and when she had the Force pressed into the wall, she felt a crystal in it. "There's a massive focusing crystal in there."  
"Indeed. The wall is made up of a hyper-dense material that weighs so much that without the crystal no one would be able to move it. Do so now, Knight Revan."

"Yes, Master." She replied, moving the wall.

-=0=-

Alek stepped into the training grounds, and asked, "Why did you want to see me, Master?"  
"In a year's time you will be ready to take the Knight test, so to prepare you for it your training will intensify. Raise your blade, Padawan."  
"Yes, Master." He replied.

-=0=-

"Bastila, what did Revan do yesterday?" Quatra asked.  
"Nothing out of the ordinary, Master." She replied, "She trained with Masters Vrook and Vandar yesterday then went out onto the plains. After a while she meditated, and after that I don't know."

"Very well. Go back to studying Force Theory for now. Be sure to be near Revan at all times, so that we can be certain that she doesn't try anything that could harm the Order."  
"Yes, Master." Bastila said, walking to her quarters.

-=0=-

Revan looked around the cavern, the walls were embedded with thousands of focusing crystals. She asked, "Is it safe to use the Force here? With this many crystals..."

"It will not be an issue, Revan. Unless you attempt to use too many of them simultaneously."  
"I understand, Master. What am I to do?"  
"Today we will be meditating. You must learn to become so in sync with the Force that it is almost as if you have become one with it while still living."  
"I will try, Master." she said, sitting down with her legs crossed. She regulated her breathing so that it was at a slow, even pace. But, then she heard a voice say in the edges of her mind, _"Just because you managed to escape before does not mean that I will not take you as a vessel."_

Instantly after hearing the voice, her breaths became rapid, and she was looking around. "What troubles you, Revan?"  
"I-I thought I heard a voice taunting me."  
"Sometimes in a place such as this one's memories can manifest. Especially ones that have greatly influenced who and what you are."  
"I understand, Master." Revan said, attempting to calm herself, but all she could think was, _'That wasn't a memory. That was way too real to be a memory.'_

Seeing the fear on Revan's face, Vandar said, "Peace, Revan. Whatever you heard cannot harm you here. You are a Jedi at a place where the Force is at its strongest. Here there is nothing to fear."  
"The voice I heard just seemed too real to be fake. I don't know how to describe it, but it just felt like it was real."  
"You are safe, Revan. Whatever you heard is not real. Do not fear it, but try to find out why the Force made you hear its voice."

"I don't know."

-=0=-

Meanwhile, in a dark cavern on a far off world there stood two men covered in dark black armor and their faces covered with masks of a blood red. The first man said, "The Master has not returned since he brought us those two children to train and the pyramid. He has never been gone for this long at a time. He may have been found and killed by the Jedi. We must prepare for a time when he is no longer amongst us."

"If the Dark Lord found out that you attempted to usurp him he would kill you. You know that, Serratus."

"We cannot live our lives expecting him to always be here. One day he will day, it is simply the way the universe works. We must have a plan for after he is gone."  
"We will do what he tells us to on his deathbed. We will not make plans for after his death when he is still alive!"  
A shroud of darkness appeared and a deep voice asked, "Are you really planning on replacing me already? Have you learned nothing from my teachings, Serratus?"

"I have learned much from your teachings, Master. I was simply saying that it would be best to have a plan for if you were to fall, that way when we rise up against the Republic and the Jedi tyrants we will have a clear chain of command."

"I will not fall to any Jedi or Republic soldiers, Serratus. Perhaps I need to remind you who is the Master, and who is the Apprentice." the shroud said, and then lightning struck Serratus, and he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. "You serve me, and you will until the day you die. Is that clear?"  
"Yes, Master. Now please end this torture. I beg of you."

"Very well. If you attempt to turn my people against me again, I will not be so merciful."

"I understand, Master."  
"Good. Now return to your duties."  
-=0=-

Bastila finished reading the section of the datapad and walked out of the Enclave. When she reached the Sandral Estate she walked to near the cave and sat down, staring at the world thousands of feet beneath the plateau. She then heard a rustling from her side, and three kath hounds leaped out at her. Seeing them approach she drew her lightsaber and cut the first one in two before grabbing the second with the Force and throwing it over the edge. However, while she was focused on that the third bit her right leg. She screamed in pain as she collapsed, barely managing to throw her lightsaber into the kath hound's head before fainting.

-=0=-

Revan sat in the cavern illuminated by thousands of crystals, meditating. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her right and blood flowing down it. She opened her eyes, but saw nothing.

"What troubles your mind now, Revan?" Vandar asked.

"I felt a sharp pain in my leg, then something like blood flowing down it, but my leg is dry."  
"Perhaps you have an incredibly powerful Force bond with someone on Coruscant and that bond has enabled you to sense their pain."

"I don't have a Force bond with anyone on Coruscant."

"Then I do not know why. Return to your meditation, Knight Revan."

"Yes, Master." she replied, returning to her meditation.

-=0=-

Bastila groaned in pain, using the Force to throw more kath hounds away from her as she tried to pull out a medkit to handle the wound on her leg. _'Great, why wasn't I more careful. I don't think I'm going to make it. These kath hounds just keep coming.'_

A kath hound leaped at her throat, but lost its head to her yellow blade. She slammed a rock into another kath hound, and kicked a third one with her good leg. _'Where are the Sandral's battle droids when you need them?'_

-=0=-

Revan stepped out of the chambers, and when she reached the door to leave the Enclave was greeted by Alek. He said, "I heard you were working on that Matale droid, do you want any help?"

"I'd appreciate it, Baldy. But, first I've got something to take care of." Revan replied, walking away.

"Need help with it?"

"This is something I'll be taking care of solo." she said, walking away. Outside of the Enclave she headed to the north. While she walked towards the north, she felt the pain in her leg return, and as she went further north it grew stronger, more distinct. It began to feel more real to her as she walked down the path. After crossing through to the Matale Estate, she began to sprint. _'Whatever the cause of this pain in my leg is north.'_ she thought, increasing her speed.

-=0=-

Bastila panted, starting to feel faint. Yet another hound charged her, and she was barely able to kill it before it got her throat. The world seemed to be spinning to her, and she felt her eyelids get heavier. Just as a kath hound lunged at her, she blacked out, thinking, _'No, not now!'_

Then, a whirlwind knocked the kath hound off course. A lightsaber slit its throat but moved through it so quickly that it still bled. Soon, the kath hounds had fled, and Revan said, "What the hell is going on here?" as she healed Bastila's leg.

-=0=-

Twenty minutes later Bastila blinked her eyes open, and saw Revan glaring at the countryside. A moment later she noticed that her leg was healed, and then Bastila asked, "What's wrong?"

"What did you do to me, Shan?" Revan demanded.

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to you?"

"Then how come I felt it when your leg got bit by the kath hounds? How come I could sense your pain from the wound? What did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything! If that's happening to you, I don't know why!"  
"How did you manage to make a Force bond with me so quickly, Shan?" Revan growled, "There is nothing extraordinary about you. You are just an average Jedi. Your skills are average, your past has nothing exceptional for a Jedi. How?"

"I don't know. And if a bond has formed I didn't want one. Why would I want to be bound to anyone? Especially someone like you."  
"Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean, Shan?"  
"Someone who's good at everything they do. Someone who's so overconfident in their skills that they'll get themselves killed showing off. I don't want to be bound to someone like that because I know what happens to people who have bonds when their bondmate dies."

"So why did you do it? Why did you leave me with this fucking bond, Padawan?"  
"It wasn't on purpose! I don't know why it happened!"  
_'She seems honestly surprised by this. And looks like I'm not the only one who isn't exactly pleased with this arrangement.'_ Revan thought, "Well," she said, "at least this bond will let us know if the other is in danger, so we can be safer if we're out here alone and get ambushed."

"I'd rather not have certain help if I get in trouble and not have someone bound to me by the Force." Bastila said.

"So would I, but that's not an option anymore." Revan said, _'Meetra is never going to let me live this down if she finds out.'_

"So, why do you think it formed?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, that's unusual. You usually have an explanation for everything." Bastila said.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Revan said.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just annoyed by this bond bullshit." Revan said walking away. When Bastila moved to follow her, she said, "Don't follow me."

"Okay." the Padawan replied, walking away.

Revan looked around for a moment to make sure she wasn't being watched, then walked down the path towards the Enclave.

-=0=-

Kreia stood alone in her chambers, when a dark shroud filled the room. It said, "Kreia, what are you planning?"

"Why does it intrigue you, Darth Venerus? I am just an old woman, not a Sith, like you and your allies."

"Your actions have drawn my interest because they are interfering with my plans."  
"I apologize, Venerus, I was not trying to interfere."  
"Cut it, Kreia. I do not wish to have to slay you as I did the others."

"I am no threat to you Venerus, nor are any others. Why then do you threaten me? After all, I am content with my role in life, and do not have much of it left. Even now the years are catching up to me."

"I merely wish to know your plan regarding the child of those two."

"I have no plans. I merely guide their child to where knowledge can be made. Beyond that, I have no influence."

The dark cloud shifted, and growled, "Tell me the truth you old fool or your life will end now."

"I am telling you the truth, Venerus. Now can we please speak in a more civil manner?"  
"If you are planning nothing, then I have no reason to speak to you." Venerus replied, fading away.

-=0=-

Revan walked into the ancient ruins of the Infinite Empire, and was greeted once more by the Guardian saying in shyriiwook, _"Why have you returned?"_

"I have something that I need to check." she replied, walking into the back chamber. She looked around and saw that it was empty. _'Someone moved the pyramid. But why? Why move the prison of an insane, warmongering spirit? It doesn't make sense. Unless someone knew about it and thought that there was a safer place. But who would know? Oh well, I should get back to my place and working on that droid.'_

-=0=-

Nomi Sunrider stood in the High Council Chambers and said, "It is necessary that we give the Republic our aid. Yes, there is a danger behind this that we are not aware of, but there comes a time when it is necessary to take action against the obvious threat. If we do not give the Republic our aid, it will fall and the Jedi Order will be destroyed."

Master Oraka said, "Grand Master Sunrider, the danger behind this attack is too great to send Jedi to fight the mandalorians. If we do, there is a chance that they could fall to the dark side. We cannot risk that many Jedi Knights. What if we defeat the mandalorians but end up with another Exar Kun? Or ten?"

"Better to risk another Exar Kun than have certain destruction of the Jedi Order."  
"If there were another Exar Kun the Order would be doomed." Master Sparatus said.

"You do not know that, Sparatus. We have to stand up to the mandalorian threat. Jedi are guardians of the galaxy, but you are opposed to having our Order fulfilling its duty as the guardians of the Republic. I remember that before Exar Kun's fall to the dark side that the Order would have stood against the mandalorian invaders. But now you are so afraid of the dark side now that you will let the slightest sign of there being a danger of Jedi that you will not allow them to fulfill their duty."

"You are out of line, Master Sunrider!" Oraka said.

"I am not, Master Oraka. This Council needs to realize that as Jedi we have a _duty_ to aid the Republic when they ask for our aid."

-=0=-

Revan sat down on her bed and pulled out the datapad that Master Dorak had given her about Jolee Bindo. She opened it up to the first file. It said, "Jolee Bindo was originally found on Coruscant at the age of four standard years old. He was found to be powerful in the Force, and quickly learned the skills of the Order. When he was twenty-nine Exar Kun began his war against the Republic and the Jedi Order. His student, Nayama fell to the dark side and when he would not join her on the dark path she attacked him. He reported that while he did defeat her, he let her go out of sympathy. She went on to kill many Jedi and Republic troops until she was slain by Master Vrook Lamar in battle. During the war Jolee proved himself to be a valuable member of the Republic war effort, managing to convert over twenty Dark Jedi back to the light. Shortly after the war was ended he was tried by the Jedi Council due to his illegal training of Nayama as he was still a Padawan when he took her under his wing and she was rejected for training due to her age. Due to his actions in the war he was found innocent. Shortly after that he disappeared, occasionally being seen in various remote parts of the galaxy. He was last seen on Narr Shaddaa where he found Revan Tremaine, a Jedi with great potential."

_'So, Jolee's been missing since he found me. Why would he completely disappear? Maybe Jedi were pestering him to rejoin the Order.'_

-=0=-

That night, Revan was woken up by a message from Meetra. It said, "So, what's got you so quiet? You didn't make a move on the kid, did you?"  
"No, I've been busy training, fixing a droid, and saving Bastila's useless ass again."

"Oh, what's got you so mad, Rev? Did she say something about your past again?"  
"I don't want to talk about it, Meetra."

"You can tell me Rev, I won't give you _too_ hard a time about whatever happened. :-)"

"Yes you would. I know how you are."

"So, did you make a move on the kid?"  
"No, she's a minor, and despite what you insist on saying, I am _not _interested in her."

"Riiiight. If you were _actually_ not interested you'd be joking about it more."

"I am not interested in her."

"Revan, there is nothing wrong with liking this Bastila kid. If she's attractive it's completely natural to want her. But, you'll have to wait until she's legal."

"For the last fucking time, Meetra, I am not interested in her. I don't want a relationship with anyone regardless of gender or species. All I want is to be the best Jedi I can be and kill every last mandalorian in the galaxy."

"Okay, that's too easy. I'm not even going to go there."  
"Get your head out of the gutter."  
"Oh come on. I said I wasn't going to go there. You're the one who's going on about how you want to fuck this Bastila kid.:-)"  
"Meetra, you really need to quit this. It was kinda funny at first, but now it's really old."  
"You've got to relax. It's like Vrook's rubbed off on you already."

"That's not it. I just don't have the time to handle your jokes now. I have a lot of tough training, making sure some idiot Padawan doesn't get herself killed, fixing a droid, keeping a kath hound alive, and then there's the fact that there's a mandalorian invasion of the Republic but I've been told that I can't go fight them."

"You heard about that?"  
"Of course. When I was training with Master Vandar he told me."  
"Are you okay with not going to fight?"  
"No, but I can't act against the Council's wishes for my personal revenge. There's always a chance that the Republic won't need our help, so I'll give them time to do that. But, there's a good chance that we will have to go and fight the mandalorians. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later."

"I know you do. Well, I've got to go help clean the kitchens here. Talk to you later, Rev!"

"Talk to you later, Meetra." Revan replied, thinking, _'Hopefully in person in a few months because the Council's let us go to war. I can't do anything about them, I just have to find a way to break this bond with Bastila so I can go back to how things were before.'_

-=0=-

**A/N: Chapter 10's here! Thanks for reading and please review.**


	11. Chapter 10: I Rise, You Fall

Revan exited her home followed by Urz, and said, "Stay." to the kath hound.

He barked in response and sat outside her door, as she walked towards the Enclave. As she walked, she thought, '_What is happening to me? I arrive on a new planet, and in a couple of weeks have a Force Bond with a Padawan who's been a pain in the ass. Then she easily gets under my skin, and then there's Meetra being a pain in the ass about it. Wait, who's that at the edge of the Enclave?' _she thought as she saw a silhouette near the entrance to the Enclave. As she got closer, it vanished, but then she felt a foot hit her in the back. She turned around, and asked, "Who and what are you?"

"I am the one who will kill you, Jedi filth. But, I suppose you will need a name to call me by. I am..." the figure, a woman, said, but the last words Revan did not hear.

"What were those last words?"

"So, you cannot hear my name. Fitting that I destroy you then."

"Leave me alone. I have enough trouble already."

"Oh, you will not have any trouble soon." the woman replied, drawing a single blade of pure black.

"You want a fight? Let's do this." she replied, drawing and igniting both of her weapons. The two paced around for a moment, then the second woman vanished again, and reappeared behind Revan, who had to block it by moving her weapons over her shoulders to catch the black blade.

"You are stronger than I thought, Jedi. But this will be over soon."

"What are you?" Revan asked.

"I am the right hand of the Lord." she replied, stabbing at Revan.

The Jedi Knight leaped into the air, and landed on the moving blade, and kicked her attacker in the face, causing her to stumble backwards. "What Lord?"

"You do now know? Well, not surprising. Your order was always so uninformed."

"What are you talking about?"

"I will not tell a worm such as you. You are unworthy of hearing his name."

"Give me an answer, or you'll find that I'm a hell of a lot more than a worm, bitch." Revan replied, charging at her again, deflecting a stab at her heart, and nearly ramming a lightsaber into her foe's chest. But, she disappeared once again, only to have a blade pierce her heart from behind.

Revan looked around, and saw Bastila standing there. The Padawan said, "I-uh-I sensed you were freaking out through the bond so I came to see what was going on."

"Thanks for the assist, Bastila."

"Yes, thanks for the assist." the woman, a brunette with short hair, said. Before pulling away from Bastila's blade and slamming her against a wall.

"So, you're a Force user. What is that technique you use to teleport around?"

"One beyond your pathetic comprehension, Jedi." The woman said, and stabbed Revan through the heart. The Jedi Knight clutched at the blade, then fell back as she felt it pulled out of her heart. The woman approached Revan with a malevolent smile, and severed her head.

-=0=-

Revan woke with a start, sweating in her bed. _'Great. Why is it that the two things that won't leave me alone are death and Bastila?'_ before getting up and quickly putting on her robes and walking to the enclave, even though her clock said that it was the middle of the night. As she walked quietly along the plains, she thought, _'I have to look into that technique that bitch used to beat me. Maybe master it myself.'_ as she entered the structure. She walked into the empty Council Chambers, and went to the door near the back. Looking above it, the sign said Archives. She tried to open the door, but it was locked, and a small message in the door terminal said, "Only Jedi Masters are permitted to enter the archives."

"Well, shit. That's just great."

"Is there something wrong, Revan?" Bastila asked.

Revan jumped, and asked, "What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be in your quarters like the other Padawans?"

"I felt you were stressed out and in the Council Chambers. I figured something was wrong, and that maybe you might want to... I don't know, talk about it."

"I just had a weird dream."

"What kind of weird dream?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Were you having inappropriate dreams about someone, Knight?"

"NO!" Revan shouted. "And, if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your nose out of my business."

"What's gotten into you? Is this about the bond? I've already said I'm sorry that it formed, and that I wasn't trying to make one."

"It isn't about that. I've just had to deal with false accusations about myself for years, so I don't like it when people make them towards me. We clear, Padawan Shan?"

"Of course." she said, and walked away.

_'Good riddance she's leaving.'_

"But why were you lying about people making false accusations?" Bastila asked, "I could sense you were lying about it."

"Don't ask, kid." Revan replied, sitting down and assuming a meditative trance.

"I'm not a kid!" Bastila replied.

"Whatever." Revan replied, as she felt the Force flow through her veins. The face of the woman who had slain her clear in her mind.

-=0=-

Mandalore stepped into the bridge of his flagship, and asked, "How goes the battle for Cathar?"

"We have disabled their orbital defense stations and completely destroyed their communications." Canderous replied.

"Excellent. Let us go to their capital, and make it ours."

"Mandalore, sir," Canderous said, "might I suggest a slightly less direct approach before we take the capital? Perhaps take the cities of Illian and Tear first, so that they cannot call there for aid?"

"Illian and Tear are at war with Ran-Tal. They will not help it."

"I understand, sir." Canderous replied.

-=0=-

Masters Vrook, Dorak, and Zhar stepped into the Council Chambers, and asked, "Knight Revan, Padawan Shan, why are you here at such an early hour?"

Revan stood up, and said, "I don't know why Bastila's still here, but I am here because I had a strange dream. Almost like a vision, Masters."

"What was it, Knight?"

"I was on my way here to the Enclave to continue my training, when I saw a silhouette near the entrance. It turned out to be a Force-wielder who had great contempt for the Jedi Order. She attacked me, and I attempted to defend myself, but she had the ability to teleport, and that led to her defeating me. Even took my life."

"I see." Vrook said, "Master Dorak, do you have any recollection of an ability such as the one Revan speaks of?"

"Yes. It is an ancient art, but none have been able to master in over five thousand years. There is almost no chance that there is anyone who could learn it anymore."

"Do we have any texts on how to perform it, Master Dorak?" Vrook inquired.

"We have a few, but I doubt they would be of any use."

"Master, may I view them?" Revan inquired.

"Revan, as much as I am sure you would love to learn this technique, I cannot allow you to view it. You might try to do something beyond your abilities, and kill yourself."

"I know my limits, Master. I will not go beyond what I can do."

"I cannot risk it." Dorak replied, "And my decision is final."

"I understand, Master. But might I ask you this, what if this woman who has mastered this technique is real, and not just part of a strangely vivid dream? What if she exists, and there is no one who knows the technique that will undoubtedly be necessary to defeat her? What do you think would become of the Jedi Order?"

"The odds of her existing are slim to none. She was just a part of your imagination."

"What if no one learns it, and you're wrong about her, Master?"

Dorak was quiet for a while, then said, "I will discuss it with the other Masters, and the entire Council will decide."

"Thank you, Master."

Vrook then said, "But do not think this does not excuse you from your planned training for today, Knight Revan. We shall begin immediately."

"Yes, Master." Revan replied, and they went into the training grounds.

-=0=-

King Melchizedek of Cathar stood in his throne room, and asked in his native tongue, _"What are you doing here, Mandalore? Did you not get your fill of pillaging and raiding in your youth?"_

Mandalore replied, "Melchizedek, I am merely the voice of the desires of the mandalorian people. We desire honor and glory earned in battle. This is nothing more than business to me."

_"Then, Mandalore, I hope you are prepared to die on business this very day."_

"I will not die this day, Melchizedek. You will." he said, drawing his blade, and approaching the massive cat.

The cathar king also drew his blade, and approached Mandalore slowly and cautiously. The two warriors stood there in perfect stillness and silence as they watched each other, looking for an opening they could exploit. Then, Mandalore said, "You know, I respected you once, Melchizedek. But it seems in your age you have forgotten the ferocity your race is known for. Now even you could easily be taken as a slave."

The cathar king replied, _"I will not fall for your taunts, Mandalore. In my age I have learned wisdom. Something it is clear that your youth has hidden from your eyes."_

"Say what you will, feline. On this day I shall slay you and your head shall become another trophy for my wall."

_"You are as arrogant as ever. Did you learn nothing from your raid on Dekuuna? Or the one on Kamino? You are not as strong or skilled as you believe you are._"

"I was defeated twice, but only by those who had been given powers by the Dark Lord, Exar Kun. You never fought alongside him, so he gave you no powers with which you could defeat me."

_"I do not need powers to defeat a whelp such as yourself."_

"You say that, but I see that in your age, you have grown week."

_"Then why do you hesitate, if I am week?"_

"I stay my blade because I am giving you a chance to save your world. I know that if I act first, this battle will be over long before you could raise your blade in defense."

_"Your arrogance is greater even than that of Exar Kun. Let us finish this now. I grow tired of talk."_

"Are you sure that you don't need a nap, your majesty?"

_"SILENCE! I grow tired of your taunts. Either come at me or leave my palace and my world!"_

"Very well. I shall take your life now." Mandalore said as he charged the cathar king.

The ancient cat deflected Mandalore's strike towards his head, and stabbed at his left arm, but his blade was caught in the mandalorian's gauntlet, which he then used to rip the blade out of his foe's hand.

The cathar roared and extended his claws, when he felt searing pain in his left leg, and saw that another mandalorian had shot him.

Mandalore said, "Sherruk! What do you think you are doing?"

"Ensuring victory, sir."

"You dishonor both yourself and your clan through your actions. Leave now."

"Yes, sir." he replied, and left the room.

Mandalore turned to Melchizedek, and said, "Do you require first aid for your leg wound?"

_"I will never go to a raider such as yourself for help. We have a battle, and I will end it even with this wound."_ he replied charging Mandalore. When the warrior swung his blade towards the cathar's head, it was simply grabbed and thrown aside, before he was tackled through a wall by the cathar.

"Your race never did have skilled builders." the mandalorian replied, as he kicked Melchizedek away. They then met in the middle of the second room, where Melchizedek roundhouse kicked towards Mandalore's head, but it was caught, and the leg broken in a single motion.

The Cathar king let out no sound, but instead struck at Mandalore's left leg with his arm, it connected, but the mandalorian's armor protected him from the blow, giving him time to slam Melchizedek into a nearby pillar and begin brutally beating the cathar king. The cathar pulled a pistol from his belt and fired three rounds into Mandalore's chest, who stumbled back after the energy rounds hit him. He glared at Melchizedek, who charged him even though his leg seemed to crumple beneath him with each step.

Then, just as Melchizedek raised his arms to strike with his claws, a blade extended from Mandalore's armor and he stabbed it into his foe. As Melchizedek clutched at his chest, Mandalore reached into the hole his weapon had left, and pulled out the cathar king's heart, saying, "I rise... you fall."

-=0=-

Revan stepped out of the training room, feeling exhausted and beat. The multitude of bruises she'd received from Vrook aching. She thought, _'At least I got close to beating him a couple of times. But damn, he kicked my ass.'_

"You alright, Revan?" Alek asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because you look like shit."

"You try fighting a Jedi Master when he's going all out." she replied, walking towards the exit. "You ready to work on a droid?"

"Yeah." he replied. "How serious is the damage?"

"Not too serious. With working on it a few hours a day we should be good in less than a couple of weeks."

"Great. You going to do any upgrades or mods?"

"Nope. Just sending it back in like-new condition. That should keep the feud in check."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Well, we'll have to hope that the Council will let us do something about it. Though they might say that there's a dark force behind it, so they can't risk any Jedi handling it."

"You talking about the refusal to send Jedi to help the Republic fight the war?"

"Of course." she replied as they walked into her cabin.

Alek chuckled, and said, "You might not want to say stuff about it to the Council. You might get kicked out."

"Oh, if they keep this shit up for too long, I am going to give them a piece of my mind. And it will not be pretty." she replied, getting out her tools. "You familiar with how to get to the drive train of this model of protocol droid?"

"Yeah." he replied, grabbing a pair of tools.

"Good, let's get to work then." she replied.

-=0=-

Two hours later, Alek asked, "So what the heck is going on with you and Bastila? I rarely see either of you apart from each other."

"Really? Why is it that everyone I talk to is just talking about Bastila? Can't we talk about something else?"

"I was just asking. It seems kinda weird. Unless... are you two sleeping together?"

"No, just no. I swear, you are acting as bad as Meetra. Wait, she didn't contact you and put you up to this, did she?"

"No, I'm just asking, because you two are acting really weird. You've become practically inseparable. And who is Meetra."

"My best friend, she's back on Coruscant."

"Oh. Wait, why is someone on Coruscant giving you a hard time about Bastila?"

"Bastila went into a topic that was a bit too personal, and I got... upset with her, so Meetra assumed that meant I want to sleep with her."

"That seems like a massive logical leap."

"It was, but if there's one thing she's known for, it's taking massive logical leaps."

"Right." he replied, looking at the droid's circuitry. Then he tilted his head, and asked, "What is that?"

Revan looked at it, and said, "Some kind of data recorder. But not part of the schematics." she replied.

"What do you think its recorded?"

"Let's find out." she replied, pulling it out, and hooking it up to her datapad. She pushed a button, and then it showed a video. It showed Ahlan Matale, and said, "With this, we should be able to observe the Sandrals. They would never suspect a dead droid of being a spy unit."

Alek replied, "I suppose we now know what that was for now."

"Yeah. We'll just leave that out of the droid." Revan said, crushing the data recorder.

-=0=-

Mandalore stared at the ground of Cathar, and asked, "How long until the cathar surrender?"

"They will do no such thing, Mandalore. We will have a long occupation in front of us." Calo Nord said.

"Very well. Let us continue, and kill any who dare stand in our way."

"As you command, sir." he replied.

-=0=-

Revan lay in her bed, and was thinking, _'I should apologize to Bastila. It's not her fault that she was asking if I was having what Meetra was saying I was. But, the more I think about it, the more what Meetra said about my liking her that way makes sense. I mean, the rapid formation of a bond, the fact that she seems to be able to easily get under my skin, and then I simply can't get her out of my head. But, if she is right, I can't let her know. She'd never let me live it down. And besides, nothing can come of it. She's younger than me, and another Jedi, so she'l not be open to the concept of a relationship. Ever. Oh well, not too big a deal.'_

-=0=-

Revan stepped into the Council Chambers, and said, "Masters." when she noticed that they were all watching her.

"Knight Revan, after much discussion," Mastar Vandar said, "we have decided that the ancient technique you wished to learn is far too dangerous and therefore we shall not allow you to study it."

"I understand, Masters." she replied.

"Good. We should begin your training for the day." Vandar said.

Revan nodded, and followed the ancient Master into the crystal cave.

-=0=-

Five hours later, Revan left the cave, and walked out onto the plains, the bond telling her where Bastila was. As she walked along the plains, she began to feel tense and nervous. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked yourself.

"Other than the fact that you talk to yourself?" a man in armor of darkest black.

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Venerus, child."

"What do you want with me, Venerus?"

"I came to see what has been done to prepare you for the coming war."

"The war with the mandalorians that's already started?"

"No, the war between Jedi and Sith that will soon resume."

"That's impossible. The Sith were killed off at the end of the Exar Kun War."

"We were defeated, not driven extinct."

"You're a Sith?" she asked, drawing her lightsabers.

"Yes, I am Sith. But, you cannot defeat me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I am the Dark Lord of the Sith." he replied.

"What would the Dark Lord of the Sith want with me?"

"You have great potential, especially for one so young. I would not want you to waste it by merely serving the Jedi, when with your natural talent you could have nigh-limitless power with the Dark Side."

"I don't buy into that Light Side or Dark Side only crap, Venerus. Powers don't have intrinsic morality, there's just morality in how they're used. So, why don't you go before I call the Jedi Council here for backup?"

"Please, those fools would crumble before my might. They would tremble before the might of the spirit I helped you seal back in the pyramid, and it was as a newborn infant before my might."

"Why would you help me with that thing?"

"You have great potential, as your parents did, before they quit walking the path of the Force to live ordinary lives."

"My parents were Jedi?" Revan asked.

"You know so little of your own lineage. Perhaps you would like an explanation."

"Not from you." she replied, "If you leave now, I'll not mention a Darth Venerus to the rest of the Jedi because I seriously doubt that you've actually got the forces necessary to start a war with the Republic, and I've got some other stuff to take care."

"Oh yes, the child you have such a... fondness of."

Revan just looked at him flatly, and said, "Just leave me alone and I won't mention you to the other Jedi. Okay?"

"Fair enough, Revan. Good luck in your training. Hopefully one day you will learn to understand the wisdom in accepting the power I offer you."

"There's no wisdom in sticking to black or white." she replied, walking away.

"One day you will realize otherwise." he replied, vanishing in a cloud of darkness.

_'Great, do all Sith know how to do that? Or just the ones who bother me?'_ Revan thought to herself, as she looked up and saw Bastila.

The Padawan said, "Is something wrong, Revan? You look like something's troubling you."

"It's nothing much." she lied.

"Why do you insist on lying to me every time I ask you a question?"

"Why do you insist on calling me on my lies every time?"

"Because, a Jedi shouldn't lie."

"Sometimes people have things they want to keep secret, Bastila. And, if I lie to you, don't pry, it's probably for the best."

"Why?"

_'Well, for starters, you could find out about some lunatic who claims to be the Dark Lord of the Sith.'_ Revan thought, but replied, "There are some things that people don't want others to know. Or, that it would be dangerous for certain others to know."

"Well, what is it this time?"

"The dangerous for you to know kind."

"Then shouldn't you tell the Council?"

"They'd not listen." she replied.

"You don't seem to have much confidence in them."

"They're a bunch of bureaucrats who are more worried about avoiding any possible danger than actually doing what they claim is their duty."

"You're really upset about them saying no Jedi are allowed to help the Republic fight the mandalorians, aren't you."

"Of course I am. The one thing I thought I could count on the Jedi Order for, fighting to protect the Republic from any danger, suddenly didn't just come into question, but quit being something at all."

"They felt that there was a greater threat behind the mandalorian uprisings, and they didn't wish to risk another Exar Kun."

"Yes, but don't you think it's strange, that they only decide to not fight the mandalorians? Yet every time there is even a single Sith they go to full-scale war? Why do you think that they do it that way?"

"Because the Sith are a far greater threat."

"The Sith are more dangerous, but the mandalorians have ravaged countless worlds along the Outer Rim. They are a considerable threat, and to have them attacking the Republic is dangerous. Especially if there is no Jedi aid."

"Are you sure that you aren't letting your own past experiences with the mandalorians cloud your judgement, Revan? Surely they aren't as powerful as you think. They're raiders, not an army."

"You're wrong. Most people think that after the war with Exar Kun that they lost their skills and became mere raiders, the truth is, they just lost a large number of warriors, but those numbers were replenished shortly, and they went right on back to destroying entire worlds and civilizations." Revan said, glaring at the ground.

Bastila was silent, then asked, "I see. There something you wanted to talk to me about? Or were you just walking around and ended up here?"

"I came to apologize. I was really rude to you earlier."

"You're... apologizing? I just figured you hated me because the bond formed, and wanted me to leave you alone. That's why when I sensed you start to tense up earlier I didn't come to see what was going on."

_'Good thing too. He might have killed you.'_ Revan thought, before grinning and saying, "I don't hate you Bastila. I'm just a bit confused about how you managed to make a bond with me when my best friend on Coruscant couldn't. Despite her trying her hardest."

"Why would _anyone_ want a bond with you? You're just as likely to stay and do what you're told as you are to go try to fight off an entire army of mandalorians on your own."

"I wouldn't do that. I may be a bit reckless, but I don't _want_ to die. Besides, getting killed isn't really an option anymore. Now I can't fulfill my dream of going out in a blaze of glory, thanks to you." Revan replied with mock bitterness.

"Sorry for denying you a death at twenty." Bastila replied, with a slight grin.

"Was that a joke? From you?"

"Yes, you don't have to sound so surprised." Bastila said.

"Well, looks like I've been having an influence on you already, Bastila. Never thought I'd see the day when you'd crack a joke around a Jedi Knight."

"You're not exactly as serious as other Jedi Knights."

"True." Revan said, slightly nodding her head. So, what you doing out here?"

"Master Quatra sent me out here to meditate because she found out about our little trip to the crystal cave shortly after you showed up."

"Great." Revan flatly replied, "When is she going to be coming for my head?"

"Probably today, maybe tomorrow."

"Well, at least I'll be ready to be attacked by a paranoid cathar. Thanks for the warning."

"No problem. Are you actually going to try to fight her?"

"If I have to. Though, she did say that it was only if I tried to train you in any way, shape, or form that she'd come after me. I might be safe."

"I doubt it. Master Quatra was furious when she found out about it."

"Well, not too big a deal. I can probably beat her."

"You're overconfident. Master Quatra is one of the stronger Masters in the Order."

"She's got power, but- like much of her race- lacks control to optimize that power."

"Just be careful, okay?" Bastila asked.

Revan laughed, and said, "Don't worry, Bastila. I won't do something to hurt you if I can avoid it. Speaking of which, were you able to feel the pain from the beating I was getting while training with Master Vrook?"

"Not really, why?"

"Just checking if I successfully managed to block the pain from your notice."

"Why? I could handle a little pain, as the pain transmitted through the bond is greatly numbed."

"Really? Then you're tougher than I thought."

"What makes you say that?"

"When you got bit by that kath hound my leg was hurting like hell."

"But, why bother blocking the pain? I can handle it."

"Because, Bastila, I don't want other people to feel pain if I can avoid it."

"Oh. Well, I need to get back to my meditations for now or Quatra will never let me back into the Enclave." Bastila replied.

"Got it. I've got to fix up Matale's droid anyways. Hopefully Baldy's not busy. Guy may be completely incompetent with the Force, but he knows how to fix droids. Bye... Bas."

"What did you just call me?"

"Bas. Why?"

"Just surprised. Bye, Revan." she said.

The Knight nodded, and walked away.

-=0=-

Meetra sat down, and asked, "Why was I called here?" when looking around the High Council Chambers.

Master Sunrider said, "We have received some... disturbing news regarding the incident in which you were injured by a mandalorian assassin."

"What?"

"It appears that this mandalorian was smuggled onto Coruscant by a group of Jedi. We have not been able to confirm their names, but they appear to have fallen to the dark side and hidden the taint. Since you were directly affected by their actions, we have decided that you should be allowed to handle an investigation into any Jedi you suspect of being part of this group."

"Why not have a Master handle it?"

"We believe it would be a beneficial experience for you, Meetra. You have the potential to become a Jedi Master, and this would give you a chance to practice some of the skills a Master requires."

"I understand. Thank you, Masters." Meetra said, bowing.

Kreia added, "As well, I believe this should keep you too busy to give Revan a hard time."

"She told you about that?"

"I sensed your amusement, and knew that only giving Revan a hard time would entertain you so much."

"Fair enough, Master." Meetra said, "May I begin my investigation immediately?"

"That would be for the best. But be sure to keep it quiet, that way none of the Dark Jedi find out about what you are doing. And, I would suggest beginning with the Padawans who have not been assigned a specific teacher, as you could say that you are looking for a student of your own."

"Understood, Master." she said leaving the room.

-=0=-

**A/N: Alright! Another chapter done. Might not get much more for a while, going out of town for a while, and won't be able to write anything. Until next time, thanks for reading, and please review. **


	12. Chapter 11: You'll Never Stop at One

"Knight Revan." Quatra said, fury clear in her eyes as the two of them stood in the center of the Enclave.

"Master Quatra." she replied.

"Do you believe that you are above the rules of the Jedi Order?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You clearly disobeyed the order of a Jedi Master. The rules of the Order say that unless a Master is telling a Knight, Padawan, Apprentice, or Youngling to defy the Code or their own Master, they are to do as a Master tells them."

"Are you referring to my taking Bastila into the crystal cave? I told you that I would not let your fear control me, Master."

"You were given an order, Knight. You should have followed it. I had truly hoped that this would not be necessary."

"What wouldn't be necessary?" Revan asked, cautiously backing away from Quatra.

"For me to kill you, as you have brought me great dishonor."

"Oh, that." Revan calmly replied, "Do you really think that the Jedi Council would let you kill me? And, don't say they won't know until it is too late. They're already aware of what's going on. They just haven't intervened yet. And, what makes you think you can beat me?"

"You are a mere Knight, while I am a Master."

"That merely says you are older and have had more experience. That doesn't take into account natural talent or strength with the Force. So, your assumption that your having achieved the rank of Master automatically makes so you can beat me is logically flawed." Revan replied.

Quatra said, "Ah, logic. That has no place on the battlefield."

"Really? There is no place for logic in battle? Never heard that one before." Revan said, looking around.

"You are just stalling. Draw your blades, Revan."

"Do you really think that this is a good idea, Master Quatra?" Revan asked, "If you engage me in combat you will lose face with quite a few people regardless of the result. Either for slaying another Jedi in combat, or because you were defeated by a Jedi Knight. For you, there is no potential positive outcome of this battle."

"To let your insult stand would forever stain my honor." Quatra replied.

"Your code of honor is highly flawed. Demanding that one kill another for a mere insult is madness, and more Sith than Jedi."

"Do not lecture me, Knight."

"You are angry, Master Quatra. Remember the Code you follow. There is no emotion, there is peace."

"Talk is pointless. Words cannot settle our dispute. Draw your blades, Revan!"

Revan shook her head, and said, "Very well, Master." igniting her weapons.

Quatra ignited her twin green blades, and charged at Revan. The Knight deflected the Master's strike at her head, and kicked the Master back. She ducked as Quatra swung for her torso, then jumped above her second blade. Revan stabbed at Quatra's left arm with her sapphire weapon, while swinging her violet blade at the Master's legs.

Quatra blocked the violet weapon, but dropped her left blade as Revan's blade pierced her arm halfway between the elbow and the wrist.

The Master's eyes seemed to be surrounded with red energy, and suddenly, Revan was engulfed in a stream of red lightning. The Knight barely managed to raise a barrier of Force energy before the lightning connected. She watched with fear as Quatra approached, as she had to focus all of her efforts on keeping the barrier up.

Then, just as Quatra approached, raising her green blade, Revan thought, _'What if I weaken the barrier just enough to be able to move, then kick her back?'_

Then, just as Revan was about to weaken her barrier, Vrook shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, QUATRA!"

The cathar did not respond, but it distracted her for a moment, just long enough for Revan to kick her back and roll out of the stream of lightning. The Master turned, and lunged at Revan, but Vrook caught the back of her robe, and said, "Quatra, cease your attack immediately."

The cathar Master raised her left arm, and said, "The Knight has severely wounded my arm."

Vrook turned to Revan, no anger in his eyes, merely disappointment, as he asked, "Is this true, Revan?"

"Yes, Master." she replied, "But, may I say something in my defense, before you give me your punishment?"

"Yes, I hope it will explain this situation."

"Master Quatra attacked me first, despite my attempts to persuade her that engaging me in combat had no potential benefits for her. And, that attempting to slay me because of an offense on her people's system of honor, was not the way of the Jedi, but of the Sith."

"What was it that you did to offend her honor?"

"She told me to not take Padawan Bastila into the crystal cave for which I was looking. When I did find the cave, I took her in with me, but, I had logical reasons to do so."

"And what were they, Knight?" Vrook asked.

"There was a young child, the daughter of Nurik Sandral, in the cave. In danger of being devoured by the local kinrath. We needed to enter immediately and in as great numbers as we could without there being too many for lightsaber combat to be a safe option."

"I see, but that is only one reason. What are the others?"

"My other reasons were that Padawan Bastila has great potential, but her time under Quatra's harsh methods and overbearing, sometimes controlling, nature has led to her not truly coming into what she could be. I believed that real world experience would help her gain some much needed confidence. And, I believed that she would be safer in the cave fighting a known enemy, than potentially being jumped by a pack of kath hounds who saw her as an easy target who could severely wound her before she could react."

"I see." Vrook said, "Your actions were well reasoned. And, you wounded Quatra in self-defense, not out of any personal vendetta. However, your insubordination, however well reasoned, is something that the rules of the Jedi Order demand be punished."

Revan nodded, then said, "What is the typical punishment?"

"Typically, for insubordination and wounding a Master, you would have your connection to the Force severed. But, I will do what I can to protect you from such a fate."

"There is no need to protect Revan from such a fate." Vandar said as he entered the area. "Knight Revan fought in self defense after doing what she believed was right at the time. While Quatra did order her not to take Padawan Bastila into the cave, the situation demanded that she do so. If she had not taken Bastila into the cave, both a child and Knight Revan herself could have been consumed by the kinrath. We are both aware of how savage kinrath are."

"Yes, Master Vandar. But, are we in agreement when we say that Knight Revan must be punished."

"Of course. She did defy the rules. But, her punishment must be decided based on the severity of her disobedience and the situation." Vandar replied.

"Of course. And, there is the matter of the ability you used, Quatra."

"What?"

"You used a power of the dark side."

"I know this isn't my place to say anything," Revan said, "but the power itself is like an inanimate object, it has no inherent alignment with either the light or dark side, but is rather how it is used that is light or dark."

Vrook looked at Revan, and said, "And in what situation could summoning lightning not be of the dark side?"

"In battle with a dark Jedi it could surprise them enough to give you an upper hand, if you are being charged by a large number of kath hounds and it covers a large area to kill them all simultaneously."

"What of non-combat situations?"

"You are out in the wilderness and need to start a fire. You could use it to start one."

Vrook said, "Why, if you need to start a fire, would you not just use your lightsaber?"

"It could be damaged from battle, or you could have lost it. Or, you might not want to risk cutting the wood."

Vrook nodded, then said, "You really are like Kreia. Always spouting foolishness that defies the traditions of the Order, but supporting it with logic."

"Thank you."

"That was not a compliment."

"I know." Revan replied, "Is it okay if I leave?"

"Yes, we will inform you of your punishment tomorrow." Vandar said.

"Thank you, Master." she said, walking out of the Enclave.

After a while, she was greeted by Alek, who said, "Holy shit, Revan! You totally kicked Quatra's ass!"

"It wasn't that hard. Her attacks were sloppy. She was obviously fighting with uncontrolled anger than anything else."

"What makes you say that?"

"Her movements were rigid. Left no room for modification for her opponent's actions."

"Oh. How's the droid coming along?"

"Pretty well. Got a couple of hours of work done on it before Quatra contacted me and told me to meet her at the center of the Enclave. With what I got done, it should only take another five hours to fix. Then about two more for putting it back together."

"Didn't you say it would take about fifty hours total?"

"It's gone faster than I thought it would. So, you ready to get some work done?"

"Yeah." he replied, as they entered the cabin. As they entered, Urz growled at him. "I don't think Urz likes me."

Revan rubbed the kath hound's head, and said, "He doesn't seem to like many people."

"He likes you and Bastila."

"Why are you always bringing Bastila up?" Revan asked.

"I was just saying he seemed to like her, that's all." Alek said, "Honest. Though, you've got to admit, she's got a nice figure."

Revan glared at him, and said "You seem to have forgotten something Alek. You're a Jedi, so you shouldn't give a rat's ass about her figure!"

"Oh, you worried I'll make a move on her, before you legally can?" Alek asked.

"How the hell did Meetra find you?" Revan asked.

"I've never talked to this Meetra chick."

"If you say so." Revan replied, sitting down and grabbing the tool she needed.

-=0=-

Meetra walked into a large chamber, and was instantly greeted by thirty loud twelve year olds. She said, "Don't mind me. I'm just checking out a bit of the wiring in this area." and quietly walked up to a wall panel. After she pulled it off with a screwdriver, she pretended to look at the mess of color coded wires, listening to the kids talking.

After about half an hour, she thought, _'This isn't going to work. There are way too many, I can't tell if any of them have been influenced by Dark Jedi. Dammit! I guess I'll have to do what the Council suggested.'_ before putting the panel back up and walking towards the door. As she reached it, she saw a single man in armor of darkest black, who said, "It would be unwise to open that door, Meetra."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You may call me Venerus." he replied.

"That's a strange name. And why would it be a bad idea to open the door."

"Because, it would mean I would have to kill you and all of these younglings."

"What do you think you are?" Meetra demanded, reaching for her lightsaber.

"The Dark Lord of the Sith." He replied.

"Very funny. Next want to tell me you're Mandalore? Or perhaps Exar Kun?"

The man shook his head, and said, "Exar Kun was a fool who thought he had found the power to become a god. I am so much more than he could ever have been."

"Why are you even here? Your dark taint could get noticed by the Council."

"The Jedi Council are a group of weak fools who would crumble before my power." Venerus replied, as the door opened and Kreia entered the room.

The old woman said, "Venerus, leave now."

"Ah, Kreia. I thought I sensed your approach."

"Why are you contacting Meetra and Revan? What are you plotting?"

"Wait, you know this guy, Master?"

"Not now, Meetra." Kreia said, "You must take the younglings away from here. They needn't have any more contact with him than necessary."

"Alright. Kids, follow me." Meetra said, but the door slammed shut, and Venerus said,

"No one leaves until I permit it."

"Why, Venerus? They are children, and do not need to see this." Kreia replied.

"Because, I am in command here, not you, Kreia." He replied.

"What are you even here for?"

"Surely you know. I came for the one who will enable my capture of their child."

"Who's child?" Meetra asked.

"Not now, Meetra." Kreia growled, then turned to Venerus and said, "Why are you so determined to capture her?"

"You know why."

"No I do not."

"You are the Far-Seer. The only living Jedi with the gift of Foretelling. Surely you have seen the events to come, and those who will be at the center of them."

"I have seen what is coming, and I know that what you are trying to do will lead only to your own destruction."

"Perhaps, we will not know until the time comes."

"Enough!" Kreia said, "Leave here at once, or I will reveal to the entire galaxy who and what you are, Venerus."

He stepped back a bit, and said, "You would not dare."

"Do you want to try me, Venerus?"

"You lack the courage!" He said.

"Are you sure? I did stand up to you before."

"Out of necessity, and you had help. But, I will entertain you this time. Do not think that I will not be watching closely." He said, as a shroud of darkness engulfed him, and when it cleared, he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Meetra asked.

"Far from here." Kreia replied.

"What was that? And how do you know that nutcase?"

"He is as sane as any man or woman in the galaxy. He merely follows a darker path than most."

"Who is he?"

"As he undoubtedly told you. He is the Dark Lord of the Sith."

"Why'd you let him go then?"

"Because, he is far stronger than I am. It was only when three stood against him as one that he has ever been defeated. And, those three long dead."

"When did he first show up?"

"Long ago."

"How long ago?"

"I do not remember the exact date, but it was before Exar Kun."

"What about the younglings? They heard..."

"Nothing." Kreia interrupted, "They neither saw nor heard what happened. Venerus clouded their eyes and ears."

"Why?"

"They were not of import to him. And, he prefers to keep those who know of him few."

"And who's child was he talking about?"

"Do not let that bother you."

"Was he talking about Revan?"

Kreia was silent for a while, then said, "Do not let his words linger in your mind. What he and I spoke of is something that needn't concern you."

"Why?" Meetra demanded.

"Because, it is too dangerous for you."

"Again, why? What are you trying to hide!"

"I am not trying to hide anything, Meetra. I merely am not telling you things that would only trouble your mind, and have no benefit."

"And what are they? Don't I have a right to know since that guy threatened to kill me!"

"His threats were hollow." Kreia replied.

"What makes you think that! He seemed pretty serious to me."

"It would have jeopardized his larger plans to slay you. He does not wish to gather the entire Order against him currently."

"Currently? One day he's going to?"

"One day his plans will make it necessary for him to do so, unless he is slain first."

"Why are you being so damn secretive!"

"Because, Meetra, this is beyond your ability to handle or comprehend. All it would do is trouble you. And, your involvement will remain tangential at most."

"What makes you so sure?"

Kreia calmly looked into Meetra's eyes, and said, "Because, you are destined to do great things that will help those who will face Venerus, but will not face him yourself."

Meetra asked, "What great things?"

"I cannot tell you." Kreia replied, "For that could change them."

-=0=-

Revan stepped out of her cottage, followed by the droid, and headed to the Matale Estate. As she walked along the path, she suddenly saw three people in dark robes and armor appear in front of her. She said to the droid, "Go back to the Enclave and get Alek and Bastila. Tell them I need backup, and the Council would ask too many questions. If they are around Master Vrook or Master Quatra, find a way to inform them without alerting the Masters."

"As you command." The droid replied.

_'Good. Hopefully these guys won't be hostiles. But, they did just appear out of nowhere, and the Council said that there are no Jedi alive who know how to do that whole teleporting thing.'_ Revan thought. As she approached, the one in the middle, a fairly tall woman turned towards her.

"Hello, Revan." the woman said.

"Who are you?"

"Oh no one important. Merely servants of Lord Venerus."

"So, you're Dark Jedi. I don't really have time for this." Revan replied.

The woman glared at her, then said, "Maybe you should make time, Jedi."

"I'd love to, but the Council's sent me out on a very severe punishment, and so I would like to take care of it as quickly as possible."

"Well, that will have to wait."

"I thought Venerus and I were alright. I leave him alone, he leaves me alone. I thought that was the arrangement."

"Lord Venerus may be 'alright' with you," the woman replied, "but I am not."

"Won't he get angry with you if you attack me?"

"No. He merely does not care about what happens to a bitch like you."

"Whoa, a bit harsh there, don't you think?"

The woman vanished, and reappeared behind Revan, kicking her to the ground. As the Knight got back to her feet, the Sith kicked her again, sending her flying into a nearby tree. She crumbled on the ground, and split blood out of her mouth. "What do you want with me? And who are you?"

"You don't remember? I'm not surprised, you've always been one to replace your friends."

"What are you talking about?"

"We used to be best friends, Rev. Before they attacked home, and killed almost everyone."

"Wait, Nicole? You're alive?"

"Yes, I am very much alive, bitch."

"I thought you were dead!"

"Oh, is that your excuse with replacing your 'best friend' with the first person you meet? And what about Meetra, you leave, and within a week have already replaced her too. But, don't worry, I'll make so you can't replace your friends anymore. I'm going to kill someone you replaced your best friend with." Nicole said with a twisted grin.

Revan looked into her eyes, blood still falling from her mouth, then said, "You'll never stop at one." as she reached for her weapons.

-=0=-

The droid walked into the academy, and saw Bastila sprinting out of the building. It began to say, "Knight Revan requires..." but the Padawan was already out of the building. The droid walked further in, and saw Alek flirting with a female Jedi in a secluded corner. It said, "Padawan Alek, Knight Revan requires your assistance."

"What? I'm kinda busy right now!" he complained.

"It seemed quite urgent." the droid said.

"What's going on that's so important that it can interfere with my life!"

"I am not sure, but from the data I was able to gather, I believe she is about to engage three Dark Jedi in combat, and requires backup."

The female Padawan said, "What? Dark Jedi? On Dantooine? You can't be serious!"

"They were able to appear as if from nowhere and where armed with lightsabers. Also, they wore dark robes, which Jedi do not."

Alek shook his head, and said, "Looks like this'll have to wait. Don't tell anyone about this, or these supposed Dark Jedi. Okay?"

"Alright." she replied, as he ran out of the room and onto the plains.

-=0=-

Bastila ran along the plains, thinking, _'What did Revan get herself into? She's freaking out.'_ then she collapsed as she felt pain in her back, then as if she had been kicked in the face. She got back on her feet, and started running towards Revan again.

-=0=-

"What was that, Revan?" Nicole asked.

"You'll never stop at one." Revan replied, as she grabbed the twin blades, "I'll take you all on!" as she ignited them and severed one of Nicole's arms before the Sith could react. She then turned and charged at the shorter of the other warriors, and stabbed him, barely missing the heart, with her blue weapon, while cutting at the other with her violet blade.

He blocked the attack, and kicked her back, while Nicole slashed at her left leg. Revan managed to block it, and kick Nicole in the chest. Nicole laughed, and vanished, reappearing behind Revan, only to feel a lightsaber pierce her chest. Revan turned around, and saw Bastila standing there, yellow blade in hand.

"Thanks." the Knight said, turning to the other two Sith.

The one she had stabbed vanished, and reappeared behind Bastila. He raised his blade, and said, "You're going to die for that, bitch!" before Revan's blade severed his head.

"Not today." Revan said, turning to the last one.

"You're better than I expected," he said, "but I'm still going to kill you both."

"Not likely." Revan said. "Though, you do seem to be a lot calmer than your friend was about Nicole's death."

"You knew that lady?" Bastila asked.

"Long time ago. Before she was a Sith." Revan said.

"I never did care for her. Always was one of the boss's favorites, never got why. I guess it was because she knew you before he rescued her, and thought he could use her to convert you to our cause. Didn't quite work though. But, enough talk. Let's finish this, Revan."

"Is that really necessary?" Revan asked, "We've already killed your allies, and it's two on one."

"You think you have the advantage? You won merely because she let her guard down, and you got in a strike that weakened her. I'm still in peak condition."

"You think so much of yourself," Revan growled, "but, if you want to fight, let's do this!"

"You've got more guts than I expected of a Jedi." he said, charging Revan.

Revan twirled her blades in a circle, and she deflected his first attack and struck at his right arm. The man grabbed the blade with his bare hands, and said, "Pathetic." before kicking Revan back, and reappearing behind her. He swung his blade, but she fell to the ground, making him miss.

She smirked, and said, "Better luck next time, asshole." before slicing off his right arm below the elbow. He howled in pain, and kicked Revan away. He extended his remaining arm, and lightning flew from his fingertips. Revan rolled away from it, and said, "You use lightning like this." before sending out a stream of lightning from her own hands.

The Sith looked surprised, stumbling backwards, and Revan raised her twin blades, and cut him in two.

Bastila looked at her, in shock, and asked, "Who were they?"

"Sith." Revan replied, glaring at the ground.

"Why were they coming after you?"

"Because, Nicole, their leader, had a grudge against me."

Bastila nodded, then collapsed to the ground. "I can't believe I killed someone. I can't believe _either_ of us killed someone."

"It wasn't the first time I've taken the life of an intelligent being." Revan said.

"What?"

"When Jolee rescued me from Nar Shaddaa, the bastard who 'owned' me tried to stop our getaway, and I ended up shooting him with a blaster that Jolee'd given me. He was dead before he hit the ground."

"How did you handle it? Killing someone else?"

"It was tough at first, but I got over it after a while. It helps to remind yourself that the galaxy is a better place without the one you killed."

"That's how you deal with killing someone? Saying they deserved it?"

"I know it's callous, Bastila. But, it's how you cope with taking a life. You have to convince yourself that it was the right thing to do. Or, you could just become the kind of sick bastard that enjoys it, but I doubt you'd want to do that."

"You really need to stop swearing so much." Bastila said.

Revan laughed, and said, "You're not my mom, Bas."

"Would you talk like that around your own mother?"

"Yes, if she was alive." Revan replied.

Bastila's jaw dropped, then Revan said, "Not really. Like I told you before, I learned to swear from ex-marines in a veteran's home on Coruscant _after_ my mom died."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's alright." Revan replied, "But, we need to bury these bodies. No one can know about this."

"Why?"

"Because, this would only slow down the Council in allowing Jedi to help fight the mandalorians, which could lead to the Republic getting conquered." Revan said, "And, because, this would make Quatra try to kill me again, and I already have one punishment because she tried to. I'd rather it didn't become a recurring issue. Not to mention, do you really want the Council finding out we fought, and killed, Dark Jedi without going to them for help. That could have serious repercussions, such as ruining any chance either of us could ever have of reaching the rank of Master."

"Really?"

"The Council is very serious about this." she replied, as she saw Alek running up.

He asked, "Where are the Sith?"

"Dead." Revan replied, "We need to take care of the bodies. The Council can't know about them. Ever."

"Got it." Alek said.

-=0=-

Fifteen minutes later, the ground was flat, save for three mounds where the Sith were buried. Revan quietly stood by the one where Nicole was buried, and Bastila asked, "Are you alright?"

Revan looked at the grave, and said, "Yeah." before walking away from the grave.

Alek asked, "Did you know the chick?"

"Before she fell. Before she learned to use the Force. Before either of us did." Revan said.

"You met her on Coruscant?" he asked.

"She was a friend of mine on Deralia, before the mandalorians attacked. Apparently some Sith found and saved her."

"Why? Sith aren't exactly well known for saving people." Bastila said.

"Because, he thought she would be useful."

"He? What makes you think it was a male?"

"Just a guess." Revan said.

Bastila looked at Alek, then said, "Alright." but glared at Revan, thinking_, 'You are going to tell me why, once he's not around.'_

The Knight then said, "Baldy, where's the Matale droid?"

"Right here, Knight Revan." the droid said.

"You ready to go back to work?"

"Yes." the droid replied.

"Good. Let's get moving. You two don't need to tag along." Revan said.

Alek said, "Then I'll head on back."

When he was gone, Bastila asked, "How did you know it was a he?"

"You heard the last one to die."

"I wasn't really listening. I was too shocked about having killed someone. I still can't believe I did that. You really are turning into a bad influence."

"Wasn't my intention, Bas." Revan said, "But, if you ever want to talk about it, my door is open."

Bastila sighed, and said, "Thanks, Revan. I just, I'm in shock."

"Well, you're handling your first kill better than Meetra did."

"She's killed someone too?"

"Yeah, shortly after I left she got attacked by a Jedi hunter. Apparently had to kill him and two others, then had a breakdown."

"Well, I might in a bit. I'm just in shock." she said, as they walked up to the Matale estate.

The war droid guard asked, "This is private property. By what authority are you trespassing?"

"We found Mr. Matale's droid near the ancient grove, and thought he'd like it back. But, it was a bit banged up, so we fixed it first."

"I see. Mr. Matale will see you now." the droid said, as the door opened.

Ahlan Matale walked out, and said, "I see you've found my droid. Where was it?"

"It was near the ancient grove. It had been damaged by kath hounds, so we repaired it before returning it."

"I see. Was it on Sandral property, but still near the grove?"

"It was not, Mr. Matale." Revan said.

"Well, I suppose that I'll just have to kill you for lying. I know it was on Sandral property!"

Revan sighed, and said, "It may have been on the Sandral property at one point, but when we found it, it was not on Sandral property. And, the only way you could actually know it was on Sandral property, was if you knew where it was, and were merely trying to frame the Sandrals for stealing and damaging your property so you could escalate your feud into a full scale war. And, I do not believe the Jedi Council would approve of that."

Ahlan glared at her, then said, "I suppose you are right. But, I do not want to see you on my property again."

"Well, turn the other way, and you won't have to." Revan replied.

"You have quite the attitude, for a Jedi."

"What can I say, living on Nar Shaddaa for a couple of years can change you."

He looked surprised, then said, "I am sorry. I did not know."

Revan said, "Just don't do anything that reminds of that shithole again and we'll be in the clear. But, there is also the matter of a reward. I think you offered one, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, I did. What do you want?"

"You to have a path around your property built, that way people can get to the grove without 'trespassing.'"

"Fair enough. I'll have it built."

"Thanks." she replied, walking away.

A minute later, Bastila said, "I thought you were going to ask him for credits."

"There are a lot of things money can't buy. Like not having to deal with that di-jerk." she said, correcting herself mid-word.

"Did you just change what you were saying in the middle of a word?" Bastila asked.

"Well, I figured if I finished what I was saying you'd get on my case. And, while annoying you might be fun, getting lectured about swearing gets kinda old really fast."

"Lecture?" Bastila said, her voice raising in pitch, as if she was offended, "I do not lec-lecture you! Why must you insist on being so infuriating!"

Revan tousled Bastila's hair, and said, "Because you're funny when you get offended." before jogging away.

Bastila glared at the woman, and said, "You have to be the most infuriating person I have ever met!"

Revan turned around, still jogging in the same direction, and shouted, "I try!" before turning around again.

Bastila shook her head, and just walked towards the Enclave.

-=0=-

**A/N: Gonna cut it off here now guys, but don't worry, there will be more Revan irritating Bastila to come. And, not going to give you any big spoilers, but next chapter, Meetra's going to irritate Revan a lot more than any other chapter. And, maybe make her more than a little bit embarrassed. Until then, thanks for reading and please drop a review!**


	13. Chapter 12: Dude, What the Hell?

Following the battle with the three Dark Jedi on the plains, Revan was given so much extra work with her training that she did not have any spare time. She was constantly either dueling with Vrook or learning more about the Force with Vandar for the following three months. She also had to handle the matter of her punishment for harming Quatra.

It was a simple matter of resolving a dispute between two farmers, surprisingly _not_ the Sandrals and Matales. Rather one farmer claimed that the other let his animals roam freely, and they had destroyed his crop for the year, and was looking for some kind of reparation for the damages. The other said that he kept his securely fenced up. After a bit of investigating, Revan found that the man's fence had been broken down.

Upon closer examination she found that it was terentatek claws that had broken the fence. She promised the farmer who's crops had been damaged that he would receive payment from the order to cover what the other farmer's animals destroyed, and promised the man that the Jedi would have his fence repaired free of charge.

After that, she was simply too busy with training to so much as talk to anyone for three months. Finally, Master Vrook said, "You have done well in your training up to this point, so you may have this week off, Revan."

"Thank you, Master." she said, leaving the area, her muscles feeling leaden from all the training. After the brief walk to her cabin, she collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep.

A few hours later, she was woken up by her datapad beeping loudly. She looked at it, and it was a message from Meetra saying, "There's been an update on the Council's stance on involvement in the Republic's fight with the mandalorians. Can you get on a vid-com in twenty?"

Revan replied, "Yeah." before walking into the main section of the room. A short while later, the vid-screen in the main part of her cabin that Ahlan Matale had given her as a bonus for the improved functionality of Shen's tutor droid came up, and she saw Meetra standing there with lines under her eyes. "You okay, Meetra?" she asked.

"Just tired." she replied, "Been really busy with an investigation for the Jedi Council."

"What kind of investigation?"

"They want me to look for any Dark Jedi hidden on Coruscant."

"You found any?"

"There was this one guy who showed up a few months ago. Said he was the Dark Lord of the Sith."

"Venerus showed up on Coruscant? Did he hurt you?" Revan asked.

"You've already met him?"

"He approached me a little over three months ago. Wanted me to join him. I told him to fuck off. What did he want with you?"

"He wanted to use me as a hostage. Probably hoping you'd join him to save me."

"So, tries to get everyone who's close to me to join him."

"What you talking about?"

"You remember how I told you about my best friend on Deralia?"

"Nicole, yeah. She was killed when the mandalorians attacked."

"Turns out I was wrong. Venerus rescued her, and turned her into a Dark Jedi. She showed up on Dantooine and tried to kill me. Nearly did, but let her guard down which let me cut off her arm. Then, when things weren't looking too good Bastila showed up, killed her. I was busy fighting a couple of friends of hers at that moment."

"So, you angry with the kid for killing Nicole?"

"It was a situation of kill or be killed."

"You sure that's not why you aren't mad at her?" Meetra asked.

"Really, Meetra? Didn't you say that you wanted to talk to me because of a change in the Council's position on Jedi involvement in the Mandalorian Conflict?"

"Yeah, but it isn't quite what you were hoping for."

"What do you mean?"

"Jedi are still under strict orders to not get directly involved with the combat, but the Council has decided we are to help bring supplies to beleaguered worlds. We're in the first batch being sent out."

"It'll be good to see you in person." Revan said, as she heard someone knock on her door. "Just a sec, Meetra, someone's at the door."

"Alright, I'll wait." she said.

Revan walked over to the door, and opened it to see Bastila. "You alright, Bastila?" she asked.

"Not really. I haven't really been able to sleep since the incident with those Dark Jedi. Every time I fall asleep I'm haunted by that woman's face as my blade ran her through. I know you said that if I ever needed someone to talk to I could come to you."

"I did say that. Why did you wait so long?"

"I knew you were really busy with your training so I didn't want to bother you." Bastila said.

"You talking to the kid who's pants you want to get in?" Meetra asked from the screen.

Revan blushed, and said, "Sorry about Meetra, she has a habit of being very inappropriate. And inaccurate." she said.

Bastila looked uncomfortable, and said, "Can we talk later then?"

"You don't have to go now!" Meetra said, "I just like making Rev uncomfortable. It's what she gets for getting on my case for leading this poor guy on, despite the fact I don't swing that way."

"You really need to stop that, Meetra. Seriously, just tell him you just want to be friends." Revan said.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Nowhere, I guess. But I've seen the guy, he's crazy about you, and if you don't break the news to him, he might not believe you."

"That's not important. I'm here to talk to you about the Council's decisions, and give _you_ relationship advice."

Revan turned and glared at her, before saying, "Meetra, I swear to the Force, if you do not drop this idiocy, I will throw you out of the nearest airlock when I next see you in person."

"So, I either drop this, or only have a few days to live." Meetra said. A few moments later, she added, "What was the kid's reaction?"

"I am not a kid." Bastila said, though her surprise at Meetra's words were clear in her voice.

Revan motioned for Bastila to come in, before sitting down on the couch. Once they were both seated, Meetra said, "Oh, you two are just so cute together! Can't believe you didn't listen, Rev. You moved really quickly."

Both Revan and Bastila blushed, and the Knight said, "Drop it, Meetra. You are walking on very, very, very thin ice. Though, being born on Coruscant, you've probably don't even understand that saying."

"Oh, getting touchy, Rev? That is so not like you. You must really have it bad for her."

Bastila said, "I'm just going to go."

"Aw, don't do that, Bas." Meetra said.

"She does this." was all Revan said. "A lot. And to everyone. Didn't Kreia give you a lecture about this when you were teasing her about having a thing for Master Oraka?"

"Wait, what?" Bastila said.

"I was giving Rev and I's old Master a bit of a hard time about having wet dreams about herself and Master Oraka, and she gave me about a three hour lecture on knowing when to keep my mouth shut." Meetra said.

Bastila looked even more uncomfortable then before, and just walked to the door. When she left, Meetra grinned, and said, "She's definitely a hot one. You have excellent taste, Rev."

Revan said, "For the umpteenth time, there is no such thing going on. And there will never be such a thing going on."

"Hey when I had a thing for that crazy twi'lek girl, Yuthura, you gave me a hard time about it."

"You never denied you wanted to get in her pants." Revan said.

"Oh, don't act like that gives you an excuse for you to tease me about wanting some chick, and then I don't have a right to."

"Fine, Meetra. Tease me away. Just please, don't do it in front of other people. It makes everyone uncomfortable."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable."

"Because you have no sense of appropriateness." Revan replied.

"Oh well. You excited to be leaving that backwater planet for a while?"

"Yeah. Am I the only one from Dantooine in the Cathar unit?"

"Nope. Bastila and someone who the file just refers to as Baldy is going too. From Coruscant there's just me and a couple of other Knights. Already forgot their names."

"Got it. Baldy's another Padawan here on Dantooine. His name's Alek something really complicated. Most people here tend to just call him Squint when referring to his last name."

"Got it. Well, the shuttle is supposed to be leaving sometime tomorrow. I think the Council there will be bringing up the new position and who's being sent where when tonight, so act a little surprised." Meetra said.

"I'll try, Meetra. And you try to behave yourself for once in your life."

"You know that won't happen." Meetra said, "But I've got to go. My time's run out, and if I don't get off now, I'll have to pay. See you in a few days, Rev."

"See you soon too, Meetra." Revan replied, turning off the vid-screen. She walked out of the building, and saw Bastila still standing outside the cabin.

The Padawan asked, "Was Meetra being accurate, about you?"

"Oh, that. No. She just enjoys making everyone uncomfortable." Revan said.

Bastila sighed with relief, and said, "Thank goodness. It would be really weird if she was accurate."

Revan laughed, and said, "Don't think too much about what she says along those lines. It'll help you live a much more relaxed life. If you can, just try to laugh it off, and respond in the affirmative, but in a tone that's dripping in sarcasm. But, sometimes she's just too inappropriate for that to be a way to respond, and you just have to say that she's wrong. But, that's beside the point. What's been bothering you?"

"I just can't get the look in that Sith's eyes out of my mind. Every time I fall asleep I see her. Every time I look around a corner I expect her to be there, with lightsaber in hand, ready to take her revenge. I just can't get what I did out of my head."

Revan nodded, and said, "I understand."

"What do I do? I tried to convince myself it was the right thing to do, but it didn't work. How do I quit feeling so guilty about killing her?"

Revan placed a hand on her shoulder, and said, "I don't have a solution, but sometimes it helps to just vent what you're feeling."

"I feel guilty. I feel horrible. I feel like I should have tried something to get her to surrender. I feel like I had no right to decide the best choice was to kill her. I feel like I was a fool to even go and try to help you. I feel like I should have let you handle it on your own, since you aren't bothered by killing any of them."

Revan said, "If you hadn't come and helped me, I would have died there, and all three of them would still be alive, causing trouble across the galaxy. Your actions, as horrible as they seem now, were for the best. You helped rid the galaxy of three people who could have killed thousands or millions of others. You actions probably saved countless lives more than the one they ended. It at least saved two."

"Two?"

"Mine and yours." Revan said.

"Why?"

"Nicole was as crazy as Meetra. Said that I'd replaced Meetra with you. She said she was going to kill you."

"What did you say?"

"The truth, that she'd never stop at one."

"Why?"

"She said that I always replace my friends, and so she was going to force me not to."

"She was going to kill me? She was going to kill others? Who else?"

"Baldy. Meetra. Maybe some others. I don't know. Didn't make many friends on Coruscant." Revan said.

"What did she have against you? Against anyone who you befriended?"

"I don't know, and I never want to. I'd rather remember Nicole like she was on Deralia. As a slightly clumsy kid who needed someone to fight off the bullies."

"She was bullied a lot?"

"Yeah, but Bas, it doesn't help to humanize those you've killed."

"You're right, Revan. But, I'm just so curious about her. How someone can go from your best friend to being someone who will kill you and anyone close to you."

"She fell to the Dark Side. That breeds hate and bitterness. It made her change from who she once was." Revan said.

"How come you aren't even sad about her death?"

"I accepted that she was gone a long time ago. She may not have been, but I'd accepted it. Now that she really is gone, nothing's really changed. Besides, she wasn't the person I knew anymore. To me, she was just a Sith wearing Nicole's face and shared her memories."

"I see." Bastila said.

"And, if it makes you feel better, all those heroes of the Republic and the Order, they would have done the exact same thing. They did do that to a lot of Sith."

"Thanks, Revan. I should get going. You probably need your rest."

Revan yawned, and said, "Yeah. Talk to you later, Bastila." before walking back into the cabin.

-=0=-

That evening, Revan stepped into the Council chambers, and saw it mostly full. She scanned it for a place to sit, and the only spot was between Bastila and Alek. She walked over to them, and sat down.

Alek said, "We made sure to save you a seat."

"Thanks." she replied.

Then, Vandar and the rest of the Council stepped into the room, and the sage said, "Now that you are all here, this meeting can begin."

Vrook said, "As you know, the Republic is in a war with the mandalorians. While the Council on Coruscant has decided it to be best that Jedi do not become directly involved in this conflict, it has decided that it would be good to send Jedi to bring supplies to some of the beleaguered worlds in the Outer Rim. First we are sending a team of six Jedi to the planet of Cathar. Three from this Enclave, and three from Coruscant."

"Who's going?" A young Padawan asked, excitement clear in her voice.

Dorak said "Knight Revan, and Padawans Shan and..." he paused for a moment then continued, "Alek, will be going, Padawan Belaya."

Then, a Knight asked, "Why, when Revan is undergoing extra training, and Bastila and Alek are also in extra difficult stages of their training are these three being sent?"

"These three have been selected due to their combined set of skills. Revan is an expert leader, as well as having an extensive knowledge of Catharese. Bastila has the gift of Battle Meditation which could be valuable in helping with the morale of the cathar people. As for Alek, he has skill with machinery that is second to very few. These skills will be valuable in helping the locals fight off the mandalorian menace, while not becoming directly involved in the combat, Knight Telarn." Zhar said.

"I understand, Master Zhar." he replied.

Then, Revan stood up, and asked, "What are we to do if we are attacked by mandalorian forces while doing our other duties?"

"You may defend yourselves. But you are not to go out of your way to seek battle with them." Vandar said.

She grimaced, then said, "I understand, Master." before sitting down.

"Are there any other questions?" Vrook asked.

"Yes." Quatra said. "Why are you sending my Padawan into a potentially dangerous situation with Knight Revan, who has previously shown a disregard for both her own safety, as well as Bastila's?"

Vandar said, "We have given our reason for sending Bastila, Master Quatra. And, it will only be a short deployment. They will be back in three weeks time. And, the first three days they are away will be on Coruscant."

"Then I request to be sent in Bastila's stead." the Master said.

"Your request is denied." Zhar said.

"Why do you insist on sending a Padawan who is barely worthy of the title. Who cannot handle a few kath hounds, to go and fight mandalorians."

Revan said, "The only reason she has any difficulty with kath hounds is that you are so harsh that she has absolutely no confidence in her own abilities. Her skills are good enough to handle most enemies if she had confidence, but your methods are such that they do not instill that in your students."

"Revan, be quiet!" Vrook said. "We do not need another incident like three months ago!"

"Are you questioning me, Knight?" Quatra asked.

"No, I'm telling you your methods are wrong." she said.

"Know your place, Knight." Quatra growled, while Bastila tugged at the Knight's robe.

The Padawan whispered, _"Revan, could you please stop this. You're going to get all three of us into a massive amount of trouble!" _

"I know my place, Quatra. And it is standing up to you, and your methods."

"Revan! Show Master Quatra respect!" Vrook roared.

The Knight ignored him, and said, "You treat your pupils like they are incompetent fools. This leads to them believing they are, and makes so that they cannot grow beyond that."

Quatra roared, and drew her twin blades, and said, "I will have your head for that insult, Tremaine!"

"Do you really think that is a good idea, Quatra? You stand before the entire Enclave. If you attack me, there is the entire Council present. They would quickly disarm you. And, are these really the actions of the Jedi? Threatening to slay someone because of a perceived insult? What I was saying was merely a critique of your methods."

"What are you trying to say, Knight Revan?" Dorak asked.

"That Master Quatra has fallen to the dark side." Revan said.

"That is a bold accusation to make." the Master said, "What makes you so certain?"

"Where should I begin?" Revan said to herself, "Let's see. She attempted to kill me three months ago, and used the Force with intent to harm me. Her actions just now, when she prepared her weapons for combat, against a clearly unarmed opponent, and I mentioned the entire Council was present, she showed no sign of even being intimidated. As if she thinks she could handle you all, Masters. Now, I do not know of a single Jedi who would believe that the Council was no match for them, but a Jedi who has fallen, that's a different story." the Knight said. "As we all know, they are often, if not always, overconfident in their strength. They believe that none can stand up to them, when that is not the case. And, a friend of mine on Coruscant recently told me that they had caught a Dark Jedi on the temple in Coruscant. Now, if a Dark Jedi can hide their presence there, in the heart of the Jedi Order, why could one not be hidden here?"

The Council nodded, and Vrook said, "Continue, Knight Revan."

"There is also the matter that she attempted to kill me before, when I attempted to peacefully defuse the situation. Giving her logical reasons why her attacking me was not a viable option. And, she was still intent upon hearing my reasoning for taking Bastila with me. Now, I've known a few over-protective Masters, but when they're told that it was to save an innocent child, they usually accept it. Quatra was still bent on killing me. She has shown continual disregard for the Jedi Code, any form of it, and has shown great anger in many instances. Has it not been taught by the Order for an untold number of years that anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side?"

"That is no proof that I have fallen!" Quatra said.

"Quatra, let Revan finish." Vandar said.

"No! I will not allow this arrogant child act so high and mighty any longer! She is the one who has fallen! She seeks to seduce Bastila."

"Come again?" Revan asked.

"I know all of your communications with Meetra Surik! Of how you have talked of how you wish to take Bastila into your bed, and defile her!" Quatra said, to everyone's surprise.

Revan said, "That is not true. Yes, Meetra has teased me about that, but I always told her the truth. That I was interested in no such thing. And, why would you be spying on me, Quatra? Doesn't seem very Jedi-like of you. And, don't the Jedi believe in fair trials? Where one may speak, without fear of being harmed for what they say? Is it not the _Sith_ who threaten to kill any who say what they do not want?"

"Your accusations have no base!" the cathar said.

"My accusations are based on your actions, Quatra. You have attempted to kill me once, and threatened to kill me twice more. You have spied on me, in my communications with a close friend without a reason. Communications, which you lied about the details of in an attempt to switch the guilt onto me. If I remember correctly, Jedi are only supposed to lie if captured by enemies of the Republic and Jedi Order, and only then to protect the Order. Never to lie to defend themselves."

"Revan speaks the truth." Vandar said.

"You cannot believe this woman's lies!" Quatra said.

"What Revan has said has been backed by what we have either seen, or what you have said." Dorak said. "The question now is if you are truly fallen. Not if you are in the right, because you are clearly not."

"You cannot mean that, Dorak!"

"Do you have anything more to say, Knight Revan?" Vandar asked.

"Just a little. We know Quatra's manners are harsh. Before, we just thought she was stern as Master Vrook is. But, if she has fallen, perhaps it was less her being akin to a good Jedi such as Master Vrook, but her following her fallen nature."

The Council nodded, and Zhar said, "We will have to consider this. What do you have to say to defend yourself, Master Quatra?"

"I have served the Jedi Order faithfully for my entire life. I have trained more than twenty Padawans, and not one of them has fallen to the dark side. If I were fallen, wouldn't they have fallen? And, do we really trust Revan? A woman trained by Kreia, who is infamous for being deceptive? We already know she takes after her old Master."

The Council nodded, and Vandar said, "We will have to consider the facts. Until then, Quatra, you are on suspension."

"You cannot be serious!"

"We are." Vrook said.

Quatra sighed, and walked away. When she was gone, Dorak said, "You all are dismissed."

The crowd quickly dissipated. When Revan, Bastila, and Alek were alone on the plains, everyone else having gone to their quarters, Alek said, "You really threw the book at Quatra in there."

"It had to be done."

"What did you mean, when you said a friend of yours on Coruscant had found a Dark Jedi?"

"Meetra encountered a Dark Jedi on Coruscant."

"They've infiltrated the temple?" Alek asked.

"It might not be plural." she said, "It was the Master of the three who came after me."

"Did Meetra find out his name?"

"He calls himself Venerus." Revan said. "But, we should be getting ready. We're heading to Coruscant soon." a smile crossed the Knight's face.

"You seem excited." Alek said.

"Yeah, but I'm going to have to punch Meetra." Revan said, looking sad.

"What for?" Alek asked.

"Being highly inappropriate."

Bastila said, "That was definitely awkward earlier."

"What, you go to hook up with Revan, and she was talking with this Meetra chick?" Alek asked.

Both women blushed, then Revan kicked him in the gut, and said, "Quit acting like Meetra. Both of you need to get your minds out of the gutter."

"You're one to talk." he said.

"What?"

"Nothing." he replied, "So, you know anything about the planet Cathar?"

"It's a large savanna in most places, but there are also large forests. The cathar people are split into three groups. The ruling class look like large, talking, upright cats, while the two lower classes look more humans. The forest cathar live inside the massive trees of the forests, while the savanna and desert cathar live in large tents that provide shade from the blazing sun. The cathar race follow a strict warrior's code of honor. Often when one is insulted it leads to a battle. They are a relatively savage people, who live by their instincts. This instinctive savagery causes difficulty at first for cathar Jedi, but there is a special training regiment which helps them handle that particular part of their culture. Some revel in their society more than others." Revan said, as they walked along the plains.

"Looks like the road around the Matale estate is well on the way to being finished." Alek said, as they walked around.

"Yeah." Bastila said.

Revan then said, "I'm going to go get ready for the trip to Coruscant. You two should as well."

"Understood." Alek said, running off.

When he was gone, Bastila asked, "Why does everyone act as if we... like each other... _that_ way."

"Meetra because she's a pain in the ass at times. Baldy is probably because he's a pervert." Revan said, as she walked towards her cabin.

"Okay." Bastila said, "See you tomorrow."

"Right." the Knight said, walking away.

-=0=-

Revan stepped out of her quarters the next day, and saw Vrook standing there. She asked, "Is something wrong, Master Vrook?"

"I came to test your skills one last time, before you leave for Coruscant." he said, drawing his blade.

"I understand, Master." she said, as she put down her bag, and ignited her twin sabers. The two clashed, Revan striking at Vrook's head and left arm. The Master dodged both attacks, and struck at her torso, but she blocked it.

She swung both of her blades at Vrook's head, and he blocked it with his blade. Revan then kicked him in the gut, and stabbed at the Master. He barely blocked it, but Revan rapidly moved her weapon in a circle, causing Vrook's blade to fly out of his hand. She kicked him to the ground, and bound him there with the Force. She placed her twin sabers to his neck, and said, "Yield."

He said, "I yield. You have truly become a blademaster."

She turned her blades off, and removed the bonds. She extended a hand to help the Master up. He accepted it, and when they were both vertical, she asked, "How are you feeling, Master?"

"Proud of you, Revan." he said, "You truly are as talented as Kreia said. Few have ever defeated me, and fewer still using two lightsabers at once. You are undoubtedly the most skilled Jedi I have ever trained. But, you should hurry to the shuttle. You do not want to be late, on your trip to Coruscant."

"That I don't. Does this mean that my training with you is over, Master?" she asked.

"There is nothing left for you to learn from me." He said, "Soon your advanced training will come to an end, if your progress with Vandar has been even close to your progress with me. And then, you can train a Padawan yourself."

"I may need advice on how to do that." She said, smiling as the two walked towards the Enclave.

"Your experience with young Bastila says that you are ready to train another." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You may not have noticed it, but she looks up to you. And, during the time she has spent serving alongside you, she has gained much experience. Perhaps even more than in her time with Quatra. Though, next time you two kill those who would do you harm, do bury them a bit deeper."

"You found their bodies? And, what makes you say it was Bastila and I who killed them?"

"I didn't, a group of kath hounds did. As for how I could know, there was one who was missing an arm, but had been killed by a blade through the heart. The other two were killed in ways that were more damaging."

"I understand, Master. Are Bastila and I in trouble for killing them?"

"No. They must have meant you and others harm." Vrook said.

"They did. The leader said she was going to kill Bastila. But, I could tell from the look in her eyes, she wouldn't stop at just one. I knew she intended to slay anyone who was a friend of mine."

"Why?"

"She had a personal grievance against me, and wanted me to suffer, I believe." Revan said.

Vrook nodded, and said, "Until we meet again." as Revan boarded the shuttle. Inside the ship, she saw Bastila and Alek.

"So, what took you so long?" Alek asked.

"Master Vrook wished to test my skills one last time before we left." Revan said.

"Yeah. How'd it go?"

"I won." Revan said.

Both of them looked shocked, and Alek asked, "Are you serious? Did you really beat Master Vrook?"

"I did." she said.

"Wow." He said, amazement clear in his voice.

Revan smirked, and asked, "What else did you expect, Baldy?"

"Him to beat you, to be honest."

"Well, so did I." Revan replied. "You're awfully quiet, Bastila? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." the Padawan replied.

"Alright." Revan said, as she walked into the main part of the ship. There, she saw that there wasn't anyone else, except for crew. She walked into the medbay, and saw Stephanie working on someone. "What happened to him, Steph?" the Knight asked.

"What?" the woman asked, jumping slightly.

"What happened to him?"

"Oh, Knight Revan! How are you doing?"

"Pretty good. What happened to this guy?"

"Oh him? He was working on taking care of the baggage for the people who were departing. The pile was way too high, and it collapsed. Broke his feet."

"Ouch. You put him under?"

"Yes, he was in a lot of pain, and his movements made my job a lot harder."

"Interesting. How long is his recovery time?"

"Probably a week or so after we get back to Coruscant. He'll get put in a kolto tank, and that should be the end of it. By the way, love your new hair color. Why'd you decide to dye it?"

"I didn't. I'm allergic to large amounts of kolto, and it resulted in a mutation that changed its color."

"Well, blue's a good color for you." Stephanie said.

"Thanks. I'll leave you to your work."

"Alright. You might want to talk to your other female Jedi. There was a package for her in the items being brought here, and it seemed to upset her."

"Thanks for the suggestion. Thought I could feel something wrong with her."

"Oh, forgot about your Jedi powers. Sorry."

"It's not a problem. I think I know why she's so upset." Revan said, walking out of the medbay. Then, the ship rocked, and after some loud feedback, a voice said, "We are the Exchange. Everyone is to put away their weapons immediately. We have infiltrated your shuttle's systems. If you do not comply immediately, we will destroy your vessel."

Revan said, "If you have hacked into the ship's systems, Exchange, then you would know that there are three members of the Jedi Order on board. I would highly suggest rethinking your position." well saying to Bastila over the bond, _"Can you use your Battle Meditation to make them more likely to leave us alone?"_

_"I can try." _Bastila replied.

Revan said, _"Do what you can." _before walking towards the boarding ramp.

The Exchange said, "We do not fear you, Jedi. We have control of your ship. Your engines are disabled."

"Who says we need our engines to handle you?" she asked, embracing the Force. She then focused outwards, and found the ship. She reached towards them all, and molded the Force around them. Soon, they were gasping for breath. She then said, "Either, leave, or I will continue my assault." while she felt her confidence being bolstered by Bastila's Battle Meditation.

The Exchange said, "Very well. We will let your ship go. Though, we are curious as to how a Dark Jedi is allowed in the Order."

"I'm not a Dark Jedi. I'm a Grey Jedi. I use both sides of the Force. I do what I see as right. I do what I see as necessary. And I use, what I see as necessary to protect the innocent. The Council is well aware of this." she said.

The Exchange did not respond, but left. Revan walked into the bridge, and asked the rodian pilot, "Are they gone?"

_"Yes."_ he responded.

"Good to hear it." she said, "What happened to Onasi?"

_"Went to fight in big war with mandalorians." _

"Good for him." Revan said.

_"Told him he was foolish. That we're shuttle pilots, not soldiers. He not listen." _

"Sometimes you've just got to fight." Revan said, walking out of the bridge. She stood in the main room, looking at the variety of tools, when Alek walked over to her.

He said, "Want to play some Pazaak?"

"Not right now." she said, "Got some stuff on my mind."

"You and Bastila both." he said.

"Listen, Baldy," Revan growled, "We are being sent to an active warzone where the fuckers who ransacked my homeworld, killed my parents, and sold me into slavery are. And, I've been told to avoid seeking out a battle with them. So, I've got a lot on my mind. I've had all I can take of you and Meetra making false assumptions about me. I'm not interested in romantic entanglements with anyone, and much less interested in just sex. So, quit it!"

"Easy, Revan. I wasn't trying to make any assumptions." he said.

"Sorry, Alek. I'm just fed up with you and Meetra acting like I'm interested in Bastila." as she walked away.

Then, Alek said, "Who wouldn't be interested in Bastila?"

Revan shook her head, and ignored him, as she collapsed in her room.

-=0=-

The rest of the journey went on in silence. Revan spent most of the time in her room, and Bastila did the same in her own. Alek spent his time in the bridge, watching the stars fly by.

When they did arrive on Coruscant, Revan and Bastila left their respective rooms, to watch their descent towards the Jedi Temple. Bastila said, "It's enormous!"

"Yeah." Revan distractedly said.

Alek watched in silent awe, until the ship touched down. He and Bastila excitedly headed for the ramp, while Revan stood in the bridge in silence.

"Are you alright, Revan?" Stephanie asked.

"Not really." she said, as she walked towards the exit.

"What's wrong?"

"The war, that's what." Revan replied, walking to the exit.

When she walked out, she saw a grinning Meetra, and a silent Kreia. The Knight smiled at her old Master, then glared at Meetra. Even more so when she heard a surprised yelp from Bastila before the Padawan collided with her, and both collapsed to the ground. Revan quickly pushed Bastila off from on top of her, trying to ignore her completely, before walking over to Meetra and silently punching the laughing woman in the gut.

Kreia watched, quietly laughing as Revan did so, before helping Bastila to her feet. The Padawan said, "Thank you, Far-Seer."

Revan, on the other hand, was shouting at Meetra, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, MEETRA! IS THIS GOING TO BE A CONTINUING ISSUE? HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN HER FOR YOU TO GET THE POINT!"

"Sorry, Rev." Meetra said, "I just thought it would be funny. And, you seemed pretty down, when you stepped out of that ship."

"WELL I'M NOT DOWN ANYMORE. I'M PISSED. WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WERE YOU THINKING? YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT EITHER ME, BASTILA, OR BOTH OF US!"

"Oh, you don't want her to get hurt?"

Revan lowered her voice from a shout, and said, "In case you've forgotten, Meetra, we're going into space where the mandalorians are doing serious damage to a world. If one of us is hurt, that could mess up the operation."

"Always so professional. You ever think about relaxing a bit?"

"Have you ever consider letting it go?"

"Nope. Gonna tease you until you reveal to me your dark thoughts."

Revan shook her head, and said, "I should have known." before turning to Kreia, and saying, "It's good to see you again, Master."

"And you too, Revan. It seems Meetra has not done as she was told. I might suggest dunking her in a large pool of water whenever she does so in the future. That worked when she was young."

"I'll try it, Master." Revan said.

Then, she turned, and saw Meetra was openly ogling Bastila. The Padawan asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Nope. You're even cuter in person. No wonder Rev has it so bad for ya." Meetra said.

"I do not!" Revan said, before continuing to ask Kreia, "What is the situation on Cathar?"

"I do not know, Revan. But, I fear it is grim indeed."

"I see." the Knight said.

Then, Revan turned around, and saw that Meetra had tackled Bastila. "Dude, what the hell?" she muttered to herself, before pulling Meetra off of a crimson Bastila.

"Aww, you ruined the fun!" Meetra said. "Did I make you jealous?"

"No." Revan flatly replied, helping Bastila to her feet. "You made everyone uncomfortable. Now can you please stop this? It isn't funny anymore."

Meetra sighed, and said, "Only if you agree to quit mooning after Bastila."

"I am not _mooning after_ Bastila. Trust me, if I was it would be very different behavior."

"Oh come on, Rev. You've got to admit, you love her."

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Nope."

"You don't have to deny it, Rev. No one here will judge you. You're among friends. One of whom you want to fuck senseless."

"I see where Revan got her mouth." Bastila muttered.

"Actually," Kreia said, "Meetra got hers from Revan."

"Oh. Why is she so crude?"

"That is just Meetra's way." Kreia said, while Meetra and Revan kept arguing. And, Alek had collapsed he was laughing so hard while watching the two. "She uses it as a way of protecting herself, as she is in love with Revan, and does not want her to be with anyone else. And Revan loves her too, but just as a friend. You could say that Meetra's actions are that she sees you as a threat."

"To what?"

"To her attempt to seduce Revan."

"Why aren't you opposed to this? It's against the rules."

Kreia laughed as Revan simply lifted Meetra into the air, flipped her on her head, and dropped. Then said, "The current rules are flawed and wrong. To not allow love, to not allow romantic relationships is wrong."

"But, love can lead to the dark side!"

"It could, but it could also save one from it. Keep them away from that path." Kreia said, "It is a risk, but all things that are truly worthwhile hold a risk."

Bastila was silent, then was surprised to see Revan and Meetra hugging. "Weren't they fighting just a second ago?"

"This is their relationship, more or less. They may fight for a while, but after a while, they will simply hug, and move on."

"Oh." Bastila said.

-=0=-

"So," Revan, "you break the truth to Traynor yet?"

"No, I was hoping you could do it for me." Meetra replied.

"That's you. Get your ass in a mess, and then expect me to pull you out of it. You know one day I won't be around to clean up your messes for you, right?" Revan asked.

"Yeah, but you're here now. Help me out?"

"I'll help you tell him, but you are the one who's going to tell him. Okay?"

Meetra sighed, then said, "Fine. I suppose you want me to do it now, too."

"Yeah. Don't worry, if things get hairy, I'll take care of it." Revan said.

"You better." Meetra said, as the two walked off.

-=0=-

Bastila asked, "When are we going to be leaving for Cathar?"

"The day after tomorrow." Kreia said, "That way you and Alek will have time to experience some of what Coruscant has to offer. But not all, there is far too much to experience in a single lifetime."

"Really?" Alek asked.

"Indeed. It would take more time than there is in a single human lifespan to get through all the prostitutes alone." Kreia said.

"Wait, what?" Alek said.

Kreia chuckled, and said, "That was a joke. Come this way."

-=0=-

**A/N: I guess I'll cut this one off here. Don't want too much content in a chapter. Thanks for reading, and until next time, please drop a review. They really help me tell what you guys do and don't like.**


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